Michigan State University
NCAA Championship
Nick And Andy Simmons Secure All-America Honors
3/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
March 18, 2006
OKLAHOMA CITY -
OKLAHOMA CITY - Nick and Andy Simmons both secured All-America finishes at the 2006 NCAA Wrestling Championships, as Michigan State stayed steady in the team standings and sit in 21st place with 29.5 points with one day of competition remaining.
"Both Nick and Andy were in the contention for national titles, so falling short of that goal is definitely a disappointment," head coach Tom Minkel said. "But at the same time, almost anyone would trade places with them in a snap."
It took a little more work than his two matches Thursday, but Nick Simmons earned his third straight pin of the tournament against Chad Mendes of Cal Poly to reach the final four at 125 pounds. Simmons' 16th fall of the season came at 6:44 of the match, as he countered a near takedown by flinging Mendes to his back. Nick Simmons moves into sole possession of sixth place all-time on the MSU falls in a season list, moving out of a tie with Jim Mason (1982-83). He also moves into a tie with Erich Harvey (1992-97) for fifth on the career falls list with 35.
Nick Simmons dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals to red-shirt freshman Troy Nickerson of Cornell, 2-1. The two grapplers spent the first five minutes of the match tied at zero, exchanging unsuccessful shots. Simmons chose the top position, but relinquished a reversal 1:15 into the period. The Spartan junior could not escape Nickerson's grasp, and his lone point was a stalling call. Nick Simmons clashes with Coleman Scott of Oklahoma State in Session V. He shut out Scott in their last meeting, 6-0.
Andy Simmons reached the semis for the second consecutive season by defeating Michigan's Josh Churella for the first time in his career. Simmons scored an exhilarating, 4-2 sudden-victory decision to advance. While Churella scored his two points in a more conventional fashion with a second-period reversal, Simmons sent the match to overtime with a pair of points awarded by separate illegal holds by the U-M 141-pounder.
In a rematch of last year's semifinals, the younger Simmons failed to defeat Iowa State's Nate Gallick, dropping a 4-2 decision. Gallick tallied the lone takedown of the bout with a quick ankle pick early in the first, and fended off Simmons' attack for the fourth time in two seasons. Andy Simmons will attempt to defeat Ryan Lang of Northwestern for the third time this season in his first match Saturday.
Darren McKnight's wrestling career came to a close Friday morning, with a narrow, 3-2, loss to No. 9 Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. With the score tied a 2-2 late, McKnight just ran out of time attempting to complete a single-leg takedown, and a riding-time point gave Turner the win.
McKnight finishes out his career at Michigan State with an 89-54 mark after going 22-19 in 2005-06. The Hixson, Tenn., native will finish his Master's degree in accounting this December, and will go to work in the field in Grand Rapids, Mich.
R.J. Boudro closed out his collegiate career in an unfortunate manner as well, dropping a 7-4 verdict to Oklahoma's Wes Roberts. Boudro scored first, but gave up the next five points, and could not overcome the deficit. The Spartan senior captain ends his season with a 29-8 mark. For his career, the Richmond, Mich., native finished 70-44, going an impressive 48-16 after transferring from Michigan following the 2003-04 season.
The Simmons brothers will wind down their seasons tomorrow in the morning session, which begins at 11 a.m. EST.
Session III
Quarterfinals
125 pounds - No. 1 Nick Simmons fall No. 9 Chad Mendes (Cal Poly) Fall, 6:44
141 pounds - No. 4 Andy Simmons dec. No. 5 Josh Churella (Mich.) SV, 4-2
Consolation Second Round
149 pounds - No. 9 Tyler Turner (Wis.) dec. Darren McKnight 3-2
174 pounds - Wes Roberts (Okla.) dec. No. 6 R.J. Boudro 7-4
Session IV
Semifinals 125 pounds - No. 5 Troy Nickerson (Cornell) dec. No. 1 Nick Simmons 2-1
141 pounds - No. 1 Nate Gallick (Iowa State) dec. No. 4 Andy Simmons 4-2
