COVERAGE
Watch Session I
NCAA Championships Brackets
NCAA Championships Site
ESPN360.com
SEASON RESULTS
Jarrett Hostetter
Shane Smith
Millersville, Pa. - Senior
Jarrett Hostetter and redshirt sophomore
Shane Smith travel to the 80th annual NCAA Wrestling Championships at Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., with the intent of giving Millersville its first Division I All-Americans since Tom Barley in 1991.
The opening round begins Thursday and the first round of the wrestlebacks will also be conducted Thursday. Hostetter and Smith are already well on their way to becoming two of the all-time greats in Millersville history but can solidify their status by earning All-America honors. The duo will draw upon previous national championships experience. There are 33 wrestlers in each weight class, and a wrestler must finish in the top eight to gain All-America honors.
Hostetter, who earned his 100th career win at the NCAA East Regional, is Millersville's first three-time national qualifier since Curtis Yeager from 2002-04. Smith is two-for-two in qualifying opportunities and could eventually become the first four-time national qualifier.
Both earned spots in the championships by winning their weight classes at the NCAA East Regional. Hostetter stormed through the 157-pound bracket and was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler. Smith went 3-0 at 174 pounds and pinned his first round opponent in just 32 seconds.
Hostetter is 23-5 this year and two of his losses came against ninth-seeded Matt Moley of Bloomsburg. Hostetter is also quite familiar with his first round opponent--fifth-seeded Steve Fittery of American. Fittery, 29-2, previously wrestled at Shippensburg before transferring to American. Hostetter and Fittery both redshirted last year and met twice in open tournaments. Fittery narrowly won both meetings, edging Hostetter 9-7 at the Mat Town Open and winning in sudden victory at the "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Classic.
Smith, 23-7, matches up with 11th-seeded Joshua Patterson of Binghamton in the opening round. It is an interesting bout with Smith and Patterson ranking among the best pinners in the country. Smith's 13 pins is one better than Patterson's 12. Patterson is an accomplished wrestler having qualified for nationals three times and earning All-American status with a seventh-place finish last year. He is 26-6 this year but led the nation with 46 wins and 22 pins one year ago.
If the wrestlers advance tot he quarterfinals, fans will be able to watch them live. ESPNU, ESPN and ESPN360.com will combine for expanded live coverage on Friday and Saturday from the The Championships will be telecast entirely in high definition.
The quarterfinals will air Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET, and the semifinals at 7 p.m., both on ESPNU. For the fourth consecutive year, the quarterfinals (two of four matches) and semifinals (both matches) will be telecast in a side-by-side format, allowing viewers to catch the action in two matches at the same time.
ESPNU will televise the Championship Medal Round on Saturday, March 20, at 11 a.m., and the hunt for the Division I title culminates with the Finals at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband sports television network, will simulcast ESPNU’s presentation of the quarterfinals Friday and the Finals on Saturday. During the quarterfinals, ESPN360.com will devote a single feed to each of the four mats, giving viewers the option to stay with one mat.
