The third session of the 2012 NCAA Championships wrapped up a short time ago and the Terps have two wrestlers still alive including one who is now a two-time All-American. Guess who?
Seventh-seeded Josh Asper defeated second-seeded Shane Onufer, 5-3, at 165 to secure a spot in the semifinals and earn All-American status for the second time in as many years. With the win, Asper avenged a loss to Onufer in last year's tournament.
Asper will face 11th-seeded Brandon Hatchett of Lehigh, who upset second-seeded Andrew Sorenson of Iowa State in his quarterfinal match, in tonight's semifinal. Asper defeated Hatchett, 5-0, in a wrestleback match last year.
Asper got on the scoreboard first against Onufer. The Parkton, Md., native got Onufer's leg on a shot and took him to the mat for two points. Asper would spend the remainder of the period accumulating riding time.
In the second period, Asper started down and registered a point with an escape to increase his lead to three, which is how the second period would end. The third period saw Onufer tally an early escape and takedown to tie the match, but Asper added a point with an escape and used his riding time advantage to secure a 5-3 victory.
Asper was not the only Terp to make some noise Friday morning. At 174, 12th-seeded Jimmy Sheptock continued his march through the wrestleback and is now one victory shy of securing All-American status for the first time.
Sheptock opened the session with a 5-2 decision over Bloomsburg's Mike Dessino. Sheptock used two first period takedowns and a third period escape to advance to take on Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of The Citadel.
Wary of Sheptock's offensive potential, Luvsandorj stayed a comfortable distance away from the Northampton, Pa., native and only attempted a few shots. Each wrestler only managed a point during regulation. In the first sudden-victory overtime, Sheptock finally landed a shot on Luvsandorj's leg and took him to the mat for the victory.
Sheptock will face sixth-seeded Ryan DesRoches of Cal Poly tonight looking for a spot in the consolation quarterfinals.
In other action, fourth-seeded Christian Boley lost a 12-3 major decision to seventh-seeded Mario Gonzalez of Illinois in the 197-pound wrestleback.
Wrestling will resume tonight at 7 p.m. ESPNU will broadcast tonight's semifinals and wrestlebacks. ESPN3 will provide a live webcast.
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