March 11, 2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Fans interested in catching some of the action from last Sunday's EIWA Championship, including title wins by Navy sophomore Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) and senior Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.), can log onto www.flowrestling.com to view not only the 10 championship bouts, but various interviews with the champions.

Saddoris overcame the odds to beat Academy rival Matt Kyler of Army, after twice losing to him in the weeks leading up to the championship.

Early in the match, however, it looked as though Saddoris might succumb to Kyler a third straight time as the Army junior had built a 3-0 lead after the first two periods. But in one of the most spectacular matches of the evening, Saddoris fought his way back into the match. Eight seconds into the final period, Saddoris trimmed the lead to two with an escape. And just 13 seconds later, Kyler was hit with his second stall warning of the match and the lead was down to one. With under 10 seconds to go in the match, Saddoris was able to score the takedown to take the 4-3 lead, but Kyler was cut loose at the buzzer for the tying point, sending the match into overtime.

After a scoreless sudden victory period, two 30-second tie breakers were put into place. Kyler was down first, but Saddoris was able to ride him out, setting himself up for the win if we could escape. And he did just that, taking the 5-4 TB win.

"Winning the EIWA Championship was amazing," said Saddoris, who became only the fourth wrestler in program history to reach 40 wins in a season. "It's the hardest I've worked and the best I've ever done. From the beginning of the season, my mindset was to win the EIWA Championship and go to qualify for the NCAA Championship. When you fulfill a goal, sometimes you just can't describe how great it feels. I'm so excited."

Saddoris, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the EIWA Championship, will make his second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after qualifying as a freshman a year ago.

The following link directs you to Saddoris' match against Kyler:
• Saddoris vs. Kyler Championship Bout

Meanwhile, Baker seized the opportunity to become only the 25th wrestler in school history to win two EIWA titles, while also earning the distinction of just the fifth wrestler in Navy history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament all four years.

Heading into the final period of his match against Cornell's Mike Grey, things looked bleak for top-seeded Baker who faced a 2-0 deficit after Grey was awarded a point for Baker's second stall warning. Baker, though, sliced the lead in half just three seconds into the period and then took a 3-2 lead with 1:23 to go on a takedown. Twelve seconds later, the Grey evened the score with an escape. With just 20 seconds remaining in the match, Baker took Grey down to the mat to earn the 5-3 win.

"I can't put into words how great I'm feeling right now," said Baker, who has battled through multiple injuries this season. "To come back after being down in that match and win is just amazing."

The following link directs you to Baker's match against Grey:
• Baker vs. Grey Championship Bout

Saddoris and Baker, along with rookie 174-pounder Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) received automatic berths to the 2009 NCAA Championship slated for March 19-21 in St. Louis, Mo. The ESPN family of networks will combine for expanded live coverage with 11 hours of action on ESPNU, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com presented in high definition for the first time.

The quarterfinals will air Friday, March 20, at 11:00 am ET on ESPNU and ESPN360.com, and the semifinals at 7:00 pm on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com. For the third consecutive year, the semifinals will be telecast in a side-by-side format, allowing viewers to see both semifinal matches in each weight class at the same time, both on ESPNU and ESPN2.

ESPNU will telecast the Championship Medal Round on Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 am, and the hunt for the Div. I title culminates with the Finals at 6:30 pm on ESPN.

ESPN360.com is available at no cost to millions of U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel. Users accessing ESPN360.com from an on-campus ".edu" or ".mil" network domain in the United States receive free, seamless access to the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships and hundreds of other live college and professional sporting events each month.

2009 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships Schedule
Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Fri., March 20 - 11 a.m. - Quarterfinals - Live ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com
Fri., March 20 - 7 p.m. - Semifinals - Live ESPNU HD / ESPN2 HD / ESPN360.com
Sat., March 21 - 10:30 a.m. - Championship Medal Round - Live ESPNU HD / ESPN360.com
Sat., March 21 - 6:30 p.m. - Finals - Live ESPN HD / ESPN360.com