March 2, 1998
BAYER, MAJETIC QUALIFY FOR NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT; SCOTS FINISH SEVENTH AT REGIONAL MEET
Chicago, IL --The Monmouth College men’s wrestling team ended the team portion of their 1997-98 schedule with a 7th-place finish at the NCAA Regional Meet this past weekend. The regional meet was hosted by the University of Chicago and featured over 30 Division III schools. Monmouth scored 60 points to finish seventh of 24 scoring teams in the competition while Manchester College (Indiana) took team honors.
Two Fighting Scots qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships through their regional performance. Seniors Scott Bayer (Schaumburg,IL/Hoffman Estates) and Andy Majetic (East Moline,IL/ United Township) will represent the college at the national tournament next weekend and each will be making his second trip to the NCAA meet. Both Bayer and Majetic qualified for the 1997 NCAA Nationals by winning their respective weight class titles at the Midwest Conference Tournament, which was suspended due to an insufficient number of sponsoring schools within the MWC this season.
Bayer, who led the squad again this year in dual-match victories, will take a 37-6 season mark into national competition following a second-place finish in the heavyweight division. Bayer went 5-1 in six regional matches, losing only to eventual champion Matt Eckerman of Chicago on a coin toss after a 1-1 tie in regulation and overtime rounds. His 37 victories establish a new individual single-season Monmouth record, breaking the old mark of 36 wins by John Chapman in the 1989-90 season, and give Bayer a combined record of 72-12 over the past two seasons.
Majetic continues an impressive senior season which now stands at 21-2 heading into this weekend’s NCAA action. He lost in the 177-pound finals to Dave Emerson of Wabash by a close 2-1 decision, only his second defeat of the season. Majetic was 3-1 at the regional with one victory by pin and has recovered from a midseason hip injury which forced him to miss several matches.
Junior Derek Harris (Romeoville,IL/HS) and senior Brian Ragar (Monmouth,IL/HS) both came up just short in their quest to earn a national berth. Harris finished third in the 158-pound weight class with a 4-1 record in five dual matches and ended this season with a 31-13 record. Wrestlers from Augustana and Wilmington (Ohio) claimed the division’s two qualifying spots. Ragar, who had qualified for the NCAA Meet last year as a junior, placed fifth at 118 pounds but still finished with his first 30-win season and a new school record. His 4-2 match record at the regional meet gave Ragar a 32-12 season mark and a career total of 98 wins, bettering the old mark of 93 career victories by Mike Castillo between 1970 and 1974.
"This was a terrific finish for us as a team to place in the top ten and we were only three points out of sixth," said Monmouth wrestling coach Mike Olson, who coached his 400th career dual-match win earlier this season. "It’s an honor to get Scott and Andy to the NCAA Nationals and we hope for two All-Americans this weekend. Even though he was not selected as a wild-card entry, Derek had a great regional tournament." The NCAA National Championships will be Thursday, March 5 through Saturday, March 7 and will be hosted by Upper Iowa University at Young Arena in Waterloo, Iowa.