Mavericks Finish Third at 2009 NCAA Division II Championships
MSU junior Brady Wilson became an All-American for the third time
10/12/2009 7:44:33 PM
Minnesota State Finishes Third at 2009 NCAA Division II Championships
Five Mavericks Earn All-America Honors
Houston, Tex. - Second-ranked sophomore 149-pounder Tommy Abbott (Willmington, Del.) became the 28th national champion to wear the Minnesota State singlet. Abbott won a 6-5 decision against fourth-ranked Christopher Freije of Western State University to claim his first national championship.
Abbott’s win helped the second-ranked Mavericks to a third-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships with 71.5 points. MSU has now finished in the top five the last five years and produced three national champions in the last two seasons.
The University of Nebraska-Omaha were crowned national champions for the sixth time in its history with 146.5 points.
“Our team goal will continue to be winning a national championship,” said head coach Jim Makovsky. “I’m proud of our guys. We have a lot of new guys and at the beginning of the season it was a blank sheet of paper, but we ended up having a successful season. I’m proud of Tommy (Abbott). He’s gone through a lot of adversity and he made a lot of improvements this season, both as a person and as a wrestler. He has a chance to do something that has never been done in school history - win three national championships.”
The championships were held at the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival on the campus of the University of Houston.
Freije took a 2-0 lead at 1:33 with a takedown, but Abbott cut the deficit in half with a one-point escape. Abbott recorded a takedown of his own at 2:15 to take a 3-2 lead. Freije responded with an escape and the first period ended in a 3-3 tie. The only point of the second period came when Abbott earned a one-point escape just four seconds into the period at 3:04. Freije tied the match at 4-4 with an escape at 5:05. Abbott earned a takedown at 6:02 to take a 6-4 lead, which proved to be enough as he wrestled his way to the championship. Freije earned a one-point escape to make the score 6-5.
“It feels great. I’m the first wrestler from Delaware to be a national champ,” Abbott said. “I’m glad to support my home state of Delaware and my new hometown Mankato. I’m disappointed (about the team placing). I know we could have done better than that, but all-in-all we wrestled a pretty good tournament.”
Abbott finishes the season with a 30-6 overall record. Abbott won the NCAA Super Regional Three to qualify for his second national meet appearance. Abbott is now a two-time All-American. Abbott was an All-American in 2008, finishing fifth at 149.
The Mavericks finish in the top-5 for the 20th time in program history. Finishing ahead of MSU was UNO and Newberry College (80.5 points). The University of Nebraska-Kearney (65.0) and Adams State (62.0 points) rounded out the top-5.
Team Scores
Place Score Team National Champions
1 146.5 Nebraska-Omaha 1
2 80.5 Newberry 2
3 71.5 Minnesota State 1
4 65.0 Nebraska-Kearney
5 62.0 Adams State 2
6 60.5 Central Oklahoma
7 54.0 Western State College
8 44.0 St. Cloud State
9 41.0 Mercyhurst 1
10 37.0 Upper Iowa
2009 Maverick All-Americans
Weight Name Times Honored Place
125 Andy Forstner 1 6th
141 John Putman 2 4th
149 Tommy Abbott 2 1st
165 Tim Matheson 1 7th
285 Brady Wilson 3 3rd
In 16 seasons under head coach Jim Makovsky, the Mavericks have finished in the top-10 at the national tournament 12 times and in the top-5 six times, including the last five years. Five Mavericks earned All-American status this year. Makovsky has coached 66 All-Americans in his 16 seasons with the program. He has coached eight wrestlers to a national championship.
Minnesota State NCAA Tournament Finishes and All-Americans (2005-2009)
Year Finish All-Americans
2005 3rd 5
2006 5th 6
2007 4th 4
2008 2nd 4
2009 3rd 5
Total 24
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