Nov. 6, 2006

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Six Navy wrestlers finished second, while three more placed in the season-opening Eastern Michigan Open held at Canton High School in Canton, Mich. over the weekend.

"When our guys reached the final round, they just weren't able to raise the level to get the win,but overall it was a pretty good performance," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "We made some mistakes, but we will work on them when we get back onto the mats this week and we'll get better. I think it was quite an accomplishment to have six of our wrestlers make it to the finals."

Senior 125-pounder Alex Usztics (Dauphin, Pa.) pinned two of his first three opponents before earning a 2-0 decision over Will Livingston in the semifinals. Michigan State sophomore Franklin Gomez wrestled unattached and dropped Ustzics in the finals by a major decision, 9-1.

Returning NCAA qualifier Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) also made an appearance in the championship bout at 133 pounds. Baker earned a pair of major decisions, including a 14-6 advantage over Northwestern's James Kohlberg en route to making the finals. Michigan State's Nick Simmons, ranked No. 3 at 125 pounds and a four-time top-five NCAA finisher, pinned Baker in the championship match at 3:38.

Senior Brad Canterbury (Blue Bell, Pa.) had a solid showing at 141 pounds where he, too, made his way into the championship match. Canterbury earned a 3-2 decision over Eastern Michigan's Drew Lesko in the opening matchup and cruised from there on out. Top-ranked Ryan Lang from Northwestern earned the win over Canterbury by pin (1:36).

Wrestling at 149 pounds was Navy senior John Cox (Grand Haven, Mich.), one-of-three returning NCAA qualifiers for the Mids. He earned a first-round bye and turned in decisions over three foes and a 15-0 technical foe over Robbie Michaels in the quarters. Cox battled Ohio State's Jason Johnstone in a hard-fought match in the semifinals, as Cox eventually won, 8-6. Cox faced 2005 All-American (141 lb) Josh Churella from Michigan in the championship where Churella won the match, 9-2.

In front of his home state crown, Navy junior Justin Jacobs (LeRoy, Mich.) placed fourth at 157 pounds, posting a 4-2 record that featured an opening-round technical fall (17-2) over Eastern Michigan's Nick Hendrick.

The Mids picked up a fourth-place medal at 165 pounds with second-year standout Jesse Feinsod (Colorado Springs, Colo.) wrestling his way through the field. Feinsod dropped his quarterfinals match-up to Lindenwood's Jake Dieffenbach, who went on to win the title.

Junior Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) turned in a 4-1 record en route to his second-place finish at 174 pounds. He and outscored his first-four opponents 32-7 to earn a spot in the finals. Tenth-ranked Steve Luke from Michigan stopped Stolpinski in the championship bout by a 13-7 decision.

Despite losing his opening matchup against Michigan State's 14th-ranked Joe Williams at 184 pounds, Navy senior Antonio Miranda (Eugene, Ore.) worked his way through the consolation bracket to finish sixth. Miranda earned two major decisions and a pin along the way before dropping a 5-3 decision to Eric Simaz of Central Michigan.

Junior Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) lost a heart-breaking finals match to fifth-ranked Dustin Fox from Northwestern in the heavyweight division, as Fox claimed the title with an 8-6 overtime decision. Prendergast pinned Brian Johnson, unattached, and Brockport's Pat Bennett to earn his way into the finals match.

The Mids will be back in action on Sunday when they travel to Evanston, Ill., to take part in the Northwestern Duals. Navy will battle Cumberland at 10:00 am, Wisconsin at 12:00 pm and 10th-ranked Northwestern at 2:00 pm.

2006 Eastern Michigan Open ResultsChampionship Finals:125 - Franklin Gomez, Michigan St 9-1 Alex Usztics, Navy133 - Nick Simmons, Michigan St F3:38 Joe Baker, Navy141 - Ryan Lang, Northwestern F1:36 Brad Canterbury, Navy149 - Josh Churella, Michigan 9-2 John Cox, Navy157 - Tony Greathouse, Michigan St 5-4 Aaron Hynes, Michigan165 - Jake Dieffenbach, Lindenwood F5:03 Antonio Guerra, Purdue174 - Steve Luke, Michigan 13-7 Matt Stolpinski, Navy184 - Jake Herbert, Northwestern 6-3 Tyrell Todd, Michigan197 - Mike Tamillow, Northwestern 3-1 Nate Moore, Purdue285 - Dustin Fos, Northwestern 8-6 Ed Prendergast, Navy
Consolation Finals for third and fifth:125 - Jonathan Lloyd, Lindenwood 9-0 Will Livingston, Ohio St;      Mark Moos, Michigan 8-3 Brandon Precin, Northwestern133 - Cameron Doggett, Purdue 11-4 James Kohlberg, Northwestern      Ryan Moyer, Lindenwood 2-1 Sean Clair, Eastern Michigan141 - Reece Humphrey, Ohio U 5-3 Tony D'Alie, Central Michigan      Ryan Cubberly, Central Michigan F1:22 Zach Donofrio, Eastern Michigan149 - Lance Palmer, Ohio St and Jason Johnstone, Ohio St double forfeit      Mark Powell, Purdue 9-2 Donny Ooton, Brockport157 - Chris Vondruska, Ohio St 2-1 Justin Jacobs, Navy      Rex Kendle, Michigan St and Rob Sulaver, Michigan double forfeit165 - Shaheim Bradshaw, Boston U 11-6 Jesse Feinsod, Navy      Randy Vandervean, Lindenwood 13-6 Jim Friend, Northwestern174 - Nick Corpe, Purdue 3-2 Kyle Vanderhyde, Ohio U      Matt Cauley, Lindenwood 11-2 Blake Mesyn, Michigan St184 - Joe Williams, Michigan St WBD Charlie Pienaar, Eastern Michiugan      Eric Simaz, Central Michigan 5-3 Antonio Miranda, Navy197 - Casey White, Michigan 8-2 Tony Lyssiotis, Eastern Michigan      Kyle Frawley, Lindenwood 9-7 Nick Palmieri, Michigan St285 - Charlie Walker, Eastern Michigan FF Pat Bennett, Brockport      Chris Kasten, Purdue W Rashard Goff, Cleveland St