| 125
- Heath Ropp, Wartburg |
| "The
key to my success was the shape I'm in and training hard the
right way all season. The guys I wrestle with every day are
the best in the nation. Coach did a hell of a job preparing
us. I was pretty focused all season long and I came into this
weekend expecting to win." |
|
| 165
- Jesse Reyerson, Luther |
| "The
turning point in the match tonight was a near fall and reversal
with back points. During my sophmore year, my teamate Garrett
Kurth was an All-American and he was my idol on my own team.
Last year I was injured so this year my goal all season was
to win the national title. Just like the University of Iowa,
I wrote down National Champion everyday on a piece of paper.
I knew that nothing else would satisfy me." |
|
| 133
- Dave Ilaria, College of New Jersey |
| "From
the beginning of last year my main goal has been to win a National
Championship this year. Anyone could have been in my position
today. This is a real honor." |
|
| 174
- Cody Koenig, Wisc.-Stevens Point |
| "My
strategy was just to bang with him and create some movement.
He let up for a second and I had him. I trained hard all year
long for this, but a lot of stuff can happen. I'm just lucky
everything worked out for me. " |
|
| 141
- Wil Kelly, Wartburg |
| "Throughout
the tournament I wanted to work hard and stay focused. I have
been wanting this for a long time. There were some distractions
at the beginning of the match, but once I started moving around
I clicked into my zone. My opponent was real defensive. I was
dealing with some fatigue coming into the tournament, but once
I got the first match under my belt, that really helped out
my confidence." |
|
| 184
- Brad Marten, Wisc.-Stevens Point |
| "Watching
my teammate win his match in an exciting fashion was extremely
uplifting to wrestle after. My main game plan for tonight's
match was to stay focused and to wrestle aggressively." |
|
| 149
- Rami Ratel, Montclair State |
| "Coming
into this weekend I expected to do my best. I've always wanted
to be a National Champion and I tried to keep mentally focused
and take one match at a time. I have been waiting for this my
whole life." |
|
| 197
- Brent Meyers, Upper Iowa |
| "This
was a perfect ending to the season and with the win being the
100th of my career. I've worked very hard and this had been
my number one goal since high school. In high school I had 99
wins and I fell short and lost in the state finals. Winning
tonight was extra special since I defeated the defending National
Champion, Yan White." |
|
| 157
- Marcus LeVesseur, Augsburg |
| "My
game plan this evening was to dominate every aspect of the match
and always hustle. I was focused for the most part and the fans
helped me focus even more." |
|
| Hwt
- LeRoy Gardner III, Wartburg |
| "I
couldn't have asked for anything more in my senior year. It
was a great team win, everyone wrestled their hearts out. You
have to win every battle and make every move count towards winning
the National Title. You can't just hope to win, you have to
take other guys' dreams away I told myself I was going to be
a National Champion since my sophomore year." |
|
| |
| Wartburg
Head Coach Jim Miller |
| "This
is a very special team. The trademark of these guys is that
they are in every match - they are right in it and are working
hard in every match, win or lose. That's why this bunch is so
special." |
|
