3/23/2008 3:30 AM Email this article Print this article  

Waynesburg native needs only 49 seconds to win championship

Observer-Reporter

Coleman Scott made his second appearance in the finals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday night. Scott's match didn't last long, but it could not have gone any better.

Scott, a senior at Oklahoma State who decisioned Illinois' James Kennedy in Friday's semifinals, pinned Iowa's Joe Slaton in 49 seconds to capture the 133-pound championship in St. Louis. It was Scott's first NCAA championship.

It's believed to be the fastest pin in the finals since a 30-second fall by Ohio University's Andy Daniels in 1978.


A three-time PIAA champion at Waynesburg High School and the 2004 Observer-Reporter Boys Athlete of the Year, the third-seeded Scott jumped on the fourth-seeded Slaton quickly.

Scott made the most of the only shot of the match, catching Slaton with a left-handed high crotch, then locking in a cradle to eventually record the pin.

"I went for the head," Scott told ESPN following the victory. "And I got the pin.

"I've never hit that move in my life. I've hit the high crotch, but never had it where I got the head like that. It was just instincts, and I did it."

The only Oklahoma State wrestler to advance to the finals, Scott got Slaton, who upset top-sseded Fanklin Gomez of Michigan State in the semifinals, on his back and the match was over.

The happy Scott then turned to the Oklahoma State cheering section, where a large contingent of his family and friends cheered wildly.

"I don't even know. I was so excited," Scott added. "It's an awesome feeling."

A four-time All-American at Oklahoma State, Scott finished his senior year with a 33-4 record. As a freshman, he placed eighth at the championships, followed by a fifth-place finish and last year's runner-up status.

"I felt great tonight," Scott said. "I prepared, I did everything right. The coaches always stress, that if you're taking someone down, look to take them to their back and keep them there and get the pin because bonus points are big."

Scott concluded his Oklahoma State career with a 117-22 record.

Scott is the second Waynesburg wrestler to win an NCAA championship this decade.

Josh Koscheck, known for his exploits in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, won the 174-pound title as a junior at Edinboro in 2001. Like Scott, Koscheck was a four-time All-American.

Pitt's Keith Gavin became the Panthers' first NCAA champion since 1989 when he defeated Michigan's Keith Luke, 4-2, in the 174 final.


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