New York, NY – Hofstra junior
Michael Hughes and graduate-student
Jamel Hudson were eliminated from the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in session three at Madison Square Garden Friday afternoon.
Both wrestlers advanced to second day of the Championship by posting a 1-1 record on Thursday's first day, with both losing their matches in session I before staying alive with a win in the first round of the consolations Thursday night.
On Friday, Hughes, the 285-pound junior from Smithtown, NY, won his consolation second round match against Nebraska's Collin Jensen, 8-2. Jensen (23-16) was sent into the consolation bracket with a 12-4 major decision loss to the seventh-seed Amarveer Dhesi Thursday night.
With the victory, Hughes advanced to the third-round of the wrestlebacks where he had to face the 15th-seed Tanner Harms from Wyoming. In the first period, Tanner recorded a reversal on Hughes and then put him on his back for a pin at the 2:00 mark.
Hughes ends his season with a career-best 41-10 record. His 41 victories this season ties James Strouse in 2006-07 and Chris Skretkowicz in 2003-04 for the third-most wins in a single season at Hofstra.
Earlier in the day, Hudson, the 141-pounder from Bay Shore, NY, was first up on the mat for the Pride in the second round of the consolations against the third-seed Kevin Jack from North Carolina State. Jack, who was upset by the 14th-seed Bryce Meredith from Wyoming in the championship second round Thursday night, jumped on Hudson early on the way to an 11-2 major decision that knocked Hudson out of the Championship. The two-time NCAA qualifier closed out his final season with a 21-10 record.
The Pride ended their NCAA Championship competition in Friday's session three with 2.5 points and tied for 57th-place. The Nittany Lions of Penn State lead the team standings with 68.5 points. Defending national champions Ohio State are second with 54 points while Iowa is third with 48.5. Oklahoma State has 46 points and is in fourth-place while Missouri is in fifth-place with 42.5 points.
Three more sessions remain in the 2016 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden beginning with session four, featuring the semifinals, at 8 p.m. Friday night; session five on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. featuring the medal rounds; and session six Saturday night which starts at 7:15 with the All-American parade before the title matches are held starting at 8 p.m.
