Hofstra's two-time All-American senior Charles Griffin defeated Iowa State's Nick Gallick and Oklahoma State's Nate Morgan to capture third place at the 2008 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center Saturday morning. Griffin placed third for the second consecutive year at 141 pounds.

As a team, the Pride is in 14th place with 38 points heading into the finals. The Iowa Hawkeyes, with 109.5, have clinched the team championship. Nebraska is second with 74 points, followed by Iowa State with 72 and Penn State and Ohio State with 71 points each.

Griffin, the second-seed who was knocked out of title contention Friday night with a loss in the semifinals, rebounded to post a 3-2 victory over Iowa  State's ninth-seed Nick Gallick, and then take third place with 5-2 decision over fourth-seed Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State. Griffin's third place finish is only the eighth time in school history that a Hofstra wrestler has finished in third or better. Griffin (Reading, PA), a four-time NCAA qualifier and a three-time CAA Champion, ends his senior season with a 37-5 record and his college career with a 126-25 mark.

Junior All-American Alton Lucas was Hofstra's other athlete competing on Saturday morning. The sixth-seeded West Babylon, NY, native was pinned in the seventh-place match by Navy's seventh-seeded Matt Stolpinski in 4:07. Lucas, who earned his first All-American honor Friday night, finishes his junior season with a 29-7 record.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Plc Score School
1     117.5  Iowa
2     79.0   Ohio State
3     75.0   Penn State
4     74.0   Nebraska
5     72.0   Iowa State 
      72.0   Oklahoma State
7    69.0   Central Michigan
      69.0   Michigan
9    67.0   Cornell
10  61.5   Minnesota
11  48.5   Missouri
12  43.0   Indiana
13  41.0   Northwestern
14  40.5   Illinois
15  38.0   Hofstra

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