First Match: A Minor Setback

Competition opened up today at the La Crosse Center, where Alex Blank joined the top wrestlers in Division III and the championships began.  After the Opening Ceremonies, the tournament was underway, and Blank's first bout was called within a few minutes.  He wrestled third-seeded Adam Sheley of University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (above right) and suffered an unfortunate loss by technical fall in the second period.

Sheley, who earned All-American honors at this tournament last year, was able to score the bulk of his points with a bar tilt on top, a move for which the junior from Geneseo, IL is rightly renowned.  Although Blank fought well in all positions, he wasn't able to create scoring opportunities and suffered his first defeat in nearly a month.

Blank will return to wrestling in the second session of the NCAA tournament, which begins tonight at 7p.m. (6p.m. local time).  He'll oppose Joe Grippi of Springfield College.  Keep following along with all the action by watching the NCAA live feed and by following @BlankGoes2NCAAs on Twitter (links below).

NCAA live feed:
http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2012/03/09
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/BlankGoes2NCAAs