Hale Qualifies for NCAA Wrestling Championships
February 24, 2013
KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Anderson University 133-pounder Zak Hale qualified for next month’s NCAA Championships by claiming third place on the final day of competition at the NCAA D-II Super Region I Championships, hosted by Kutztown University Saturday at Keystone Arena.
"This is an incredible accomplishment for Zak,” said Anderson head coach Dock Kelly. “To qualify for the national tournament as a true freshman is an impressive feat. In my 13 years of coaching at Anderson University, I have only had one other wrestler qualify as a true freshman – that was national champion Careef Robertson. Zak has worked hard all year long and he wrestled well at the regional qualifier. To earn third place, Zak beat two All-Americans. We will take a few days off, and then we will get focused to compete at the national tournament."
Hale opened the first day of competition on Friday by pinning American International’s Cole Ludorf at the 2:03 mark of the first period and followed with a convincing 11-3 decision over Newberry’s Nicholas Lankford.
The third-seeded Hale dropped a 9-4 decision to Shippensburg State’s No. 2 seed Cameron Throckmorton in Saturday’s semifinals, but bounced back to top Gannon University’s Jose Mantos, 6-4, in the fourth wrestleback and defeated Pitt-Johnstown’s Dave Fogle, 4-2, to earn third place and advance to the national tournament in Birmingham, Ala., on March 8-9.
