Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Championships
Tyler Smith Advances to Quarterfinals at NCAA Wrestling Championships
3/15/2018 8:18:00 PM | Wrestling
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Bucknell's Tyler Smith advanced to the quarterfinals in the 141-pound weight class at the NCAA Wrestling Championships with a thrilling overtime victory over NC State's Kevin Jack on Thursday at the Quicken Loans Center.
With 31 seconds remaining in the sudden victory period, Smith scored a low, single-leg takedown to edge the fifth-seeded Jack by a 6-4 decision. Not only did Smith become the first Bison to advance to the quarterfinals since 2011, he also avenged a 4-0 loss to Jack in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Championships.
Entering the third period, Smith trailed Jack by a 3-1 margin after giving up a takedown in the bout's first 20 seconds and ceding an escape to start the second period. Smith went on the offensive in the final frame; after escaping to draw within one, he picked up a takedown with 1:30 on the clock to gain a 4-3 advantage. Jack ultimately registered an escape 14 seconds later to send the bout into bonus time.
Thanks to his upset of Jack, a two-time All-American who finished third in 2017 and fifth in 2015, Smith earned a date with fourth-seeded Joey McKenna of Ohio State in Friday's quarterfinals. McKenna, a 2016 All-American who transferred to Ohio State from Stanford, advanced behind a pair of technical falls.
In his first bout of the NCAA Championships, Smith rolled to a 7-0 victory over Virginia Tech's Brent Moore, the 2018 ACC champion. With five seconds left in the opening frame, Smith scored a takedown to jump out to a 2-0 lead and gain momentum going into the middle stanza.
Smith picked up a reversal five seconds into the third period, and Moore gave up two points for stalling. Most impressively, Smith built up nearly a three-minute advantage in riding time over the course of the final two frames.
Smith, the 12th seed at these championships, is the first Bison to reach the quarterfinals since current assistant coach Kevin LeValley. As a senior in 2011, LeValley rolled into the 149-pound bracket's round of eight behind a pair of major decisions. LeValley went on to secure All-American accolades for the second year in a row by placing seventh.
With his pair of victories on Thursday, Smith improved to 29-4 on the season, a winning percentage of .879 good for fifth in school history. He also moved to 107-35 in his collegiate career; he now owns sole possession of ninth in career wins and is one outside of a tie for seventh. His career winning percentage of .754 ranks ninth all-time, .06 behind LeValley's mark.
Smith is the fifth Bison to qualify for the NCAA Championships all four years of his collegiate career. He evened his record at NCAA wrestling's premier event to 6-6.
Smith will continue his quest to become Bucknell's sixth All-American tomorrow. The quarterfinals begin at 11 a.m. and will be streamed live on ESPNU and ESPN3. The semifinals follow at 8 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN and ESPN3.
141: #12 Tyler Smith (2-0)
First Round: Brent Moore (Virginia Tech), W, Dec. (7-0)
Second Round: #5 Kevin Jack (NC State), W, SV-1 (6-4)
Smith advances to Quarterfinals, where will face #4 Joey McKenna (Ohio State)
Thanks to this takedown, Tyler Smith knocked off a two-time All-American in sudden victory overtime and advanced to the quarterfinals of the #NCAAWrestling Championships. 💪 #DoMore #rayBucknell pic.twitter.com/LP3x7O33nI
— Bucknell Wrestling (@Bucknell_WRST) March 16, 2018
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