AMES, Iowa – Five Iowa State wrestlers will be competing at the 2012 NCAA Championships March 15-17 in St. Louis, Mo. Ryak Finch (125), Luke Goettl (141), Andrew Sorenson (165), Boaz Beard (184) and Matt Gibson (HWT) will compete in the Scottrade Center at the national tournament. Finch, Sorenson, Beard and Gibson were automatic qualifiers for the tournament, while Goettl received an at-large bid.
In the final Feb. 28 regular season rankings by Intermat, Iowa State was led by Sorenson, who is ranked fourth nationally at 165 pounds. Sorenson owns a 26-2 record and earned a runner-up finish at the 2012 Big 12 Championships. The Woden, Iowa native earned a No. 3 seed for the national tournament and faces Joe Booth of Drexel in round one.
Heavyweight Matt Gibson has faired well for the Cyclones in tournament competition this season. Gibson earned the highest finish on the team at the 2011 Midlands Championships and was a Big 12 champion in Columbia, Mo., March 3. Gibson was slated at No. 10 nationally in Intermat’s final poll. The Vallejo, Calif., native earned a No. 12 seed for the NCAA tournament and will wrestle Peter Capone of Ohio State in his first match.
Both Ryak Finch (125) and Luke Goettl (141) have been solid additions to the Cyclone lineup in their first year of competition. The Arizona natives have both been ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes this season by Intermat.
Finch faces fifth-seeded Nicholas Bedelyon of Kent State in the first round of the NCAA Championships. Bedelyon has a record of 29-4 overall.
Goettl will take on No. 8 Darius Little of North Carolina State in the first session of the national tournament March 15.
After a year off the mat and on the baseball field, sophomore Boaz Beard has transitioned back into the wrestling lifestyle. The Cyclone 184-pounder finished the regular season 9-4 and recently earned a runner-up finish at the conference tournament. Beard is set to face Edinboro’s Victor Avery in the first round of the national tournament.
Who: No. 10 Iowa State (4-13, 0-6 Big 12) at NCAA Championships
Where: St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center
When: Thurs., March 15 – Sat., March 17
