| Abdurakhmanov, Glenn earn wrestling All-American honors at NCAA Championships BY MIKE UNGER
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Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, above, and Josh Glenn, left, shined at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City. |
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All season long, victory after victory, Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov and Josh Glenn have helped carry AU’s wrestling program to new heights. Last week at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, the pair continued their ascent, earning All-American honors and helping the Eagles to a best-ever 17th place finish. Abdurakhmanov’s third-place finish in the 165-pound division was the highest by an Eagle wrestler in history. The senior defeated Travis Paulson of Iowa State 7-2 to earn a spot in the third-place match, then was awarded a victory after his opponent forfeited due to injury. On Friday Abdurakhmanov lost a tough 4-3 decision to defending NCAA champion Johny Hendricks of Oklahoma State after a controversial call penalized him a point. It was his first loss of the year. Hendricks went on the win the individual crown and help Oklahoma State to its fourth-straight team championship. St. Patrick’s Day also was unlucky for Glenn, who fell 8-7 to Shane Webster of Oregon. Saturday, Glenn regrouped to take fourth-place in the 184-pound division. He finished the season with a 35-3 record, at one point attaining a No. 1 national ranking. Despite the disappointment surrounding the questionable call in Abdurakhmanov’s loss, the season was an unquestionable success for the Eagles. The team shattered its previous best NCAA finish of 32nd, won its most duel meets since 1989, and had three wrestlers ranked in the national top 10 at the same time for the first time in school history. “We’re moving in the right direction,” Coach Mark Cody told AUEagles.com after the NCAAs. “Our goal is to get to the top. We’re going to put in the time we need, recruiting-wise, because there’s a lot of good competition out there. There’s a lot of parity out there and that keeps us on our toes. We’re going to try to keep going and try to outwork everybody and do the right things.” Cody has catapulted his program into the spotlight since taking over four years ago. In addition to Glenn and Abdurakhmanov, who each won EIWA conference titles this season, sophomore Adam LoPiccolo also was ranked in the top 10 and wrestled in the NCAA Championships. The national media even has begun to take notice. A story on the program’s revival ran on ESPN.com on March 1. The future looks bright. Just four of the team’s 19 wrestlers will be lost to graduation, which means Cody should return a squad of hungry, more experienced student-athletes next season. Granted, the loss of Abdurakhmanov, whose career 55-4 record is the highest winning percentage in AU wrestling history, will sting. “Muzaffar has done so much for this program,” Cody said. “He’s been a pioneer. In what he’s done last year and this season, he’s basically put us on the map. Everybody loved him and loves to watch him wrestle.” Meghan Thiel competes in NCAAs AU swimmer Meghan Thiel finished 34th in the 1,650-freestyle and 39th in the 500-free at the NCAA Championships over the weekend in Atlanta. Her time of 16:44.95 in the 1,650 was just eight seconds off her best in the event, set previously at the Patriot League Championships, and her 4:52.11 in the 500 was the second best of her career. The races marked the culmination of an outstanding year for the sophomore from Arlington, Va., in which she set school records in three events, was named Patriot League Swimmer of the Meet, and qualified for her first NCAA Championships. |
