NATIONAL DUALS, DAY 2 NOTES: Minnesota State-Mankato tops Nebraska-Omaha in Division II finals

Most of the drama in the final round of the 2008 National Duals belonged to the NCAA Division II level.

The D-II finals once again came down to the final bout and once again produced an exciting finish.

Minnesota State-Mankato’s Brady Wilson delivered a win at heavyweight to lift his fourth-ranked team to a 19-17 victory over No. 2 Nebraska-Omaha.

It was the first National Duals title for Mankato, which lost to Nebraska-Omaha in the 2006 finals of this event.

“This is a huge win for us,” Mankato coach Jim Makovsky said. “To win a national championship like this is great for our program. We’ve been working for this and we’re excited to be able to do it.”

The second-ranked Wilson scored a takedown in overtime to beat No. 7 Tony Lewis of UNO 3-1 in the final match. Nebraska-Omaha had taken a 17-16 lead when Jacob Marrs won by major decision at 197.

“We’re a team that’s been knocking on the door, and to come through and win this is just awesome," Wilson said. "We’ve come a long way and our work ethic has really improved.”

Mankato’s seventh-ranked Travis Elg turned in another big win when he pinned fifth-ranked Yasiim Bribieseca at 141.

“Elg really came through,” Makovsky said. “He had an injury to his collarbone and we weren’t sure he was going to wrestle. Elg’s a pinner and he went after it and came through.”

Nebraska-Omaha wrestled without 2006 NCAA champion Cody Garcia (125), who is out with a knee injury.

Mankato also beat top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday, scoring a 25-16 win in the semifinals.

Wartburg wins fourth Division III title

The No. 1 Wartburg College Knights won their fourth National Duals title in Division III as they downed No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 25-8 in the finals Sunday afternoon.

It marked the first time in the seven years of the National Duals for Division III that Wartburg and Augsburg didn’t meet in the finals.

No. 2 Augsburg fell to No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 22-12 in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon. Augsburg, which has won this event three times including 2007, came back to finish third Sunday.

National Duals return to UNI-Dome in 2009

The National Duals are scheduled to return to the UNI-Dome for the fourth straight year in 2009.

The event is set for Jan. 10-11, 2009

Most of the drama in the final round of the 2008 National Duals belonged to the NCAA Division II level.

The D-II finals once again came down to the final bout and once again produced an exciting finish.

Minnesota State-Mankato’s Brady Wilson delivered a win at heavyweight to lift his fourth-ranked team to a 19-17 victory over No. 2 Nebraska-Omaha.

It was the first National Duals title for Mankato, which lost to Nebraska-Omaha in the 2006 finals of this event.

“This is a huge win for us,” Mankato coach Jim Makovsky said. “To win a national championship like this is great for our program. We’ve been working for this and we’re excited to be able to do it.”

The second-ranked Wilson scored a takedown in overtime to beat No. 7 Tony Lewis of UNO 3-1 in the final match. Nebraska-Omaha had taken a 17-16 lead when Jacob Marrs won by major decision at 197.

“We’re a team that’s been knocking on the door, and to come through and win this is just awesome," Wilson said. "We’ve come a long way and our work ethic has really improved.”

Mankato’s seventh-ranked Travis Elg turned in another big win when he pinned fifth-ranked Yasiim Bribieseca at 141.

“Elg really came through,” Makovsky said. “He had an injury to his collarbone and we weren’t sure he was going to wrestle. Elg’s a pinner and he went after it and came through.”

Nebraska-Omaha wrestled without 2006 NCAA champion Cody Garcia (125), who is out with a knee injury.

Mankato also beat top-ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday, scoring a 25-16 win in the semifinals.

Wartburg wins fourth Division III title

The No. 1 Wartburg College Knights won their fourth National Duals title in Division III as they downed No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 25-8 in the finals Sunday afternoon.

It marked the first time in the seven years of the National Duals for Division III that Wartburg and Augsburg didn’t meet in the finals.

No. 2 Augsburg fell to No. 3 Wisconsin-La Crosse 22-12 in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon. Augsburg, which has won this event three times including 2007, came back to finish third Sunday.

National Duals return to UNI-Dome in 2009

The National Duals are scheduled to return to the UNI-Dome for the fourth straight year in 2009.

The event is set for Jan. 10-11, 2009