LA CROSSE, Wisc. (March 11) – Waynesburg sophomore Alex Crown finished an outstanding run at the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Championships with a fourth-place finish on Saturday.
The second-year Yellow Jacket standout placed higher at nationals than any Presidents' Athletic Conference wrestler since Thiel's Chad Beach placed fourth in 1993. Crown was also the PAC's top finisher this year and his fourth-place performance is also the highest placing ever for a Waynesburg wrestler at the NCAA Division III Championships.
After going 2-1 on Friday to reach the All-American round, Crown opened up his Saturday with a thrilling 6-5 win over Timothy Hood of Cornell College. Hood led 5-4 in the third, but Crown started from the top and tilted Hood over for two near-fall points, then held on for the victory.
The Carlisle native's next match pitted him against fifth-seeded Riki Reynolds of Mt. Union. Once again, Crown showed his heart and determination with another come-from-behind victory. Reynolds was able to put the sophomore on his back for a five-point move, but Crown rolled through, reversed Reynolds and pinned the Purple Raider standout in 2:26 to reach the third-place bout.
Unfortunately, Crown found himself overmatched against second seeded sixth-year senior Mark Kist of Wartburg College and dropped a 17-2 technical fall to finish fourth. Kist is a three-time Iowa State champion and a transfer from Division I powerhouse Iowa State.
Despite ending with a loss, Crown's first run through the national tournament was a successful one. After receiving the number-eight seed, the Carlisle High School graduate dropped a heart-breaking 2-1 decision to the eventual fifth-place finisher in his first match. However, he responded well to the defeat with an 8-2 decision and then a 16-1 technical fall win to reach All-American status.
Crown was joined at the tournament by senior 141-pounder Nick Garber and freshman heavyweight Brandon Fedorka. Garber got off to a great start by winning his first two matches, including one by fall. Unfortunately, he seemed to hit a wall, lost his next two matches and came one win short of his second-straight All-American performance. Fedorka went 0-2 in his first trip to the national tournament.
Waynesburg was in 20th place out of the 60 teams represented at the event going into the championship finals with 19 total points. For a complete look at this year's national championships, click here.
