Lehigh University Athletics
Trenge and Rohn advance to finals
9/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Wrestling
Albany, NY – For the first time since 1979 Lehigh has two wrestlers in the NCAA Championship finals. Senior Rob Rohn and sophomore Jon Trenge each advanced to the finals of the 2002 Championships, picking up bonus points for the Mountain Hawks in the process. Lehigh remains in sixth place following the fourth session heading into the place bouts on Saturday morning.
Rohn advanced with his third consecutive pin of the season tacking fourth seeded Jessman Smith of Iowa to the mat in 2:57.
"This has been an unusual tournament for me," said Rohn. "I usually don’t pin people but now I have three in a row."
After a cut above his eye was fixed by trainer Jack Foley, Rohn came out and was almost immediately taken down by Jessman. Rohn escaped and Jessman shot in again, this time Rohn used a flying cement job to counter Jessman’s shot attempt. In seconds Jessman found himself staring at the lights as Rohn pinned him with just three seconds remaining in the period. A standing ovation by the crowd of over 12,000 soon followed as Rohn’s arm was raised.
"I knew coming in that this weight class was wide open because none of us had been dominant throughout the season," said Rohn. "We’ve all got a bunch of losses and they’ve all been to each other. I’ve always dreamed of being a National Champion while I was in high school and now being in the finals I have the shot at living that dream."
Trenge road the momentum created by Rohn and won by major decision 16-6 over Owen Elzen of Minnesota, a wrestler Trenge had beaten 6-5 earlier in the season. Trenge used a number of takedowns and two back points to secure the win while allowing Elzen to escape six times.
Rohn will take on sixth seeded Josh Lambrecht of Oklahoma in the finals, which begin on Saturday at 2:00. The grapplers have met on two occasions with each coming away with a win. Lambrecht defeated Rohn last season at the NCAA Tournament, but Rohn avenged the loss with a 4-2 win this season at National Duals.
Trenge will be in the marquee bout of the 2002 finals as he takes on Cael Sanderson of Iowa State. Perhaps the most successful wrestler in NCAA history, Sanderson has had all eyes on him this weekend in Albany. While Trenge has had quite an impressive tournament, three pins and a major decision, it has been overshadowed by Sanderson who is looking to become the first wrestler in NCAA history to win four national championships, have an undefeated career record, and win four most outstanding wrestler awards. Sanderson holds a 2-0 advantage over Trenge, with both victories coming this season. Trenge fell to Sanderson 16-5 at Midlands and 6-1 in the NWCA All-Star meet.
"It’s a great challenge," said Trenge about the upcoming bout with Sanderson. "The kid is phenomenal. I’m up for it though." "He’s a stud," said Sanderson about Trenge. "He can do about whatever he wants on the mat. He’s gonna be a tough opponent, real tough."
When ESPN’s Steve Cyphers asked Trenge if he thinks he can beat Sanderson, Trenge replied with exactly the answer Cyphers was looking for.
"I expect to leave everything I have out on the mat and I expect to be fully content with my performance afterwards," said Trenge. "If I win it, I win it. If not, hey, I got two more years but I guarantee I’m gonna do everything in my power and make all my hard work pay off."
The finals will be televised via taped delay on ESPN2 on Saturday evening at 7:30 and can be heard live on the Lehigh website at www.lehigh.edu with KC Wennogle at 2:00. ESPN News may cover the Trenge-Sanderson match live or on a one-minute delay when it occurs at approximately 3:30.
In the wrestle back bracket Chris Vitale’s collegiate career came to an end on Friday evening as the senior co-captain fell to Oregon’s Eugene Harris by a 7-5 decision. Harris recorded three takedowns and an escape to pick the win and deny Vitale of All-American status. Vitale finished his career 113-35 and was 27-5 this season.
Team Standings
Place | Team | Points | Q. Finalists-Wr. Backs |
1. | Minnesota | 112.0 | 3-4 |
2. | Oklahoma | 95.0 | 2-4 |
3. | Iowa State | 88.0 | 3-2 |
4. | Iowa | 83.5 | 2-3 |
5. | Oklahoma State | 66.5 | 1-3 |
6. | Lehigh | 55.5 | 2-0 |
7. | Ohio State | 52.5 | 1-2 |
8. | Nebraska | 52.0 | 1-2 |
9. | Michigan | 48.0 | 0-4 |
10. | Illinois | 43.0 | 1-2 |
Lehigh Results
Weight | Decision | Score |
165 – WB | #7 Eugene Harris, Oregon dec. #6 Chris Vitale | 7-5 |
185 – Semis | #8 Rob Rohn WBF #4 Jessman Smith, Iowa | 2:57 |
197 – Semis | #2 Jon Trenge major dec. #3 Owen Elzen, Minnesota | 16-6 |
