Oklahoma State University Athletics
Mu?oz captures his first NCAA Championship
March 17, 2001 | Cowboy Wrestling
Mu?oz and his teammates finished third in the team race with 116.5 points. Minnesota won the team title with 138.5 points, while Iowa finished second with 125.5 points.
The Golden Gophers won the title with 10 All-Americans, the first time that has ever been achieved since the tournament expand to 10 weight classes. It was also the first time the team champion did not have a finalist.
"It was a great win for Mu?oz," said head coach John Smith. "He was very determined to win his national championship. I think the thing about it is that he went through it the hard way, he was down at times and came back."
The Pokes Johnny Thompson (133) and Daniel Cormier (184) finished runners-up in their respective weight classes.
"It was a good way to end the team's tournament with Mark's (Mu?oz's) championship," said Smith. "We honestly felt like we had a chance at winning all three matches (finals), even the one against Cael Sanderson as well. It was a nice way to cap it off with Mark winning his national championship.
Mu?oz took the seventh-seeded Quirk down twice on his way to the title. He is OSU's 75th NCAA Champion and the 121st titlist overall.
"The difference between this year and last year is that I kept my focus and mentality," said Mu?oz. "The key for me was just to have fun and glorify God in every way, and just go out and do what I can do."
The 197-pounder finished the 2001 campaign with a 26-5 record. He also moved into a sixth-place tie with Pat Smith and Kenny Monday on OSU's all-time career victories chart with 121 wins.
"I knew that Pat Quirk was coming after me hard, and that I had to make some shots," said Mu?oz. "I give all the credit to him (Quirk) in the world. He is a tough competitor, and I just had to be on my game.
"This is something that you work for all your life. I came up short the first three years, but this year I worked harder and kept focused ... All the work paid off."
At 133 pounds, Thompson was hit with a late stalling penalty and then taken down, as Iowa's top-seeded Eric Juregens escaped with this second-straight national title, 10-7.
Daniel Cormier gave Iowa State's all-world Cael Sanderson his toughest match of the year, but in the end, the Cyclone's junior won his third NCAA title, 8-4.
Team Scores
1. Minnesota 138.5
2. Iowa 125.5
3. Oklahoma State 115.5
4. Oklahoma 93.5
5. Illinois 89.0
Finals
125: No. 1 Stephen Abas (Fresno St.) dec. No. 2 Jody Strittmatter (Iowa), 13-10
133: No. 1 Eric Juergens (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Johnny Thompson (OSU), 10-7
141: No. 2 Michael Lightner (Oklahoma) dec. No. 1 Doug Schwab (Iowa), 5-4
149: No. 3 Adam Tirapelle (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Dave Esposito (Lehigh), 5-3
157: No. 1 T.J. Williams (Iowa) dec. No. 2 Bryan Snyder (Nebraska), 2-1, tb
165: No. 1 Donny Pritzlaff (Wisconsin) dec. No. 2 Joe Heskett (Iowa St.), 3-1, ot
174: No. 1 Josh Koscheck (Edinboro) dec. No. 3 Maurice Worthy (Army), 8-1
184: No. 1 Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) dec. No. 3 Daniel Cormier (OSU), 8-4
197: No. 1 Mark Mu?oz (OSU) dec. No. 7 Pat Quirk (Illinois), 5-3
285: No. 4 John Lockhart (Illinois) dec. No. 2 Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State), 2-1, tb
