Oklahoma State’s Chris Perry won the 174-pound crown at the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Saturday night, taking his place among family members who have accomplished greatness on the mat.
The top-seeded Perry defeated No. 2 seed Matt Brown of Penn State, 2-1, TB1, in their 174 title match which was the first bout in the re-ordered Session VI finals (to place the historic Kyle Dake-David Taylor 165-pound "Match of the Century" last on the evening's schedule.)
Chris Perry hails from U.S. wrestling royalty. His dad, Mark Perry, Sr., was a four-time NCAA All-American for Oklahoma State… while his elder brother Mark, Jr., was a two-time NCAA champ for the University of Iowa. Chris’ uncle is none other than his head coach John Smith, who earned superstar status in college and international competition.
Perry, a junior originally from Stillwater, Okla., brought the 2013 Big 12 title and a 30-2 record to the 2013 NCAA finals. Brown, a sophomore with a 29-4 mark this season, was the 2013 Big Ten champ.
How Perry got to the finals: 1st Rd: dec. unseeded Cody Weishoff of Oregon State, 5-4… 2nd Rd: dec. unseeded Jon Fausey of Virginia, 4-0… Quarterfinals: dec. No. 8 Nick Heflin of Ohio State, 3-2, TB1… Semifinals: dec. No. 4 Robert Kokesh of Nebraska, 4-2, SV1
How Brown got to the finals: 1st Rd: maj. dec. unseeded Todd Porter of Missouri, 10-1… 2nd Rd: pinned unseeded Nick Bonacorsi of Pitt, 1:30… Quarterfinals: maj. dec. unseeded Trent Weatherman of Iowa State, 13-5… Semifinals: dec. No. 6 Logan Storley of Minnesota, 3-2
Finals action:
- 1st Period: No scoring.
- 2nd Period: Brown takes down position, escapes to make it 1-0 Penn State. No other scoring.
- 3rd Period: Perry escapes from the down position, 1-1. No other scoring in regulation, sending the match into overtime.
- Sudden Victory Period: No scoring in the one-minute period.
- Tiebreaker: Perry started the tiebreaker period by riding out Brown for 30 seconds; then, with positions reversed, Perry was able to get a quick escape, winning the match 2-1, and the 174 title.
Perry’s win briefly propelled his Cowboys into first place by one point in the team title race, 115.5 to 114.5 for Penn State. That lead was brief; Ed Ruth’s win in the next match sent his Nittany Lions back on top, where they held on to win their third consecutive team championship.
Perry was not alone as an Oklahoma State champ. He was later joined by Jordan Oliver, who won his second NCAA title, this time at 149 pounds.
Quotes from the champ:
- Initial reaction to winning the title: “It’s unexplainable. I have so many people in my life, like my family and my coaches that I just want to win for. It’s indescribable. It’s almost a shell-shock moment when you’re up there. You don’t even know what to do. When you win, you just kind of fall apart, like everything is a big weight off your shoulder.”
- Family pressure? "Being around my family we don't accept second. I was pretty excited yesterday making the finals, but I knew if I lost it was a failure. In our family we don't except second. We don't sleep if we get second."
- On the overtime ride: “It was tough. I went to his ankles a couple times. We worked on going to his ankles instead of jumping on top, which I’ve done a couple times this year, cost me at the National Duals… He was thinking ankle again and it worked perfect. He went straight up and I pulled him straight back. I got both legs and I knew I was sitting fine… It took a lot out of him. After I got his legs in, I felt him go straight to his belly.”
- Perry’s assessment of his finals rival Brown: “Obviously a great opponent. Athletic, strong.”
2013 NCAA All-Americans -- 174 Pounds
- 1st: Chris Perry (Oklahoma State)
- 2nd: Matt Brown (Penn State)
- 3rd: Robert Kokesh (Nebraska)
- 4th. Logan Storley (Minnesota)
- 5th: Nick Heflin (Ohio State)
- 6th: Mike Evans (Iowa)
- 7th: Jordan Blanton (Illinois)
- 8th: Cody Walters (Ohio)
Want to know more? Get the inside story on the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships with complete final brackets and team standings. For a look back, check out College Wrestling Examiner's exclusive "Mat Bracketology" series of weight-by-weight previews... along with all College Wrestling Examiner articles on the 2013 NCAAs.
For big-picture overall recaps and results, check out articles at College Wrestling Examiner.. InterMat... and TheMat.com.
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