Carr splits, Headlee out of NCAA tournament
CLEVELAND – Mike Carr of Illinois split his two bouts and A.C. Headlee of North Carolina University was eliminated on the first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships in front of 18,660 fans at Quicken Loans Arena Thursday.
Carr, a graduate of South Fayette, and Headlee, a graduate of Waynesburg High School, were part of a group of 53 Pennsylvania wrestlers competing in the event. Both wrestled in the 141-pound weight class.
Carr, the 11th seed, won his NCAA Championships debut, 8-1, over Henry Pohlmeyer of South Dakota State on the strength of three takedowns and a second-period tilt. After a scoreless first half of the opening period, Carr scored two takedowns in the final 90 seconds to take a 4-1 lead.
Carr doubled his score with four more points in the second period with a third takedown and two backpoints. Pohlmeyer proved tough on top in the third period, eliminating the 1:36 of riding time that Carr had built, but was unable to trim the deficit.
Carr (18-6) lost a 6-2 decision to two-time national champion and No. 6 seed Dean Heil (25-5) of Oklahoma State. After a scoreless first period, Heil went up 3-1 with an escape and takedown in the second. A takedown with two seconds remaining and riding time point sealed the win.
Carr wrestles Brent Moore of Virginia Tech in today’s consolation round and can still finish as high as third.
Headlee lost a 12-6 decision to Jaydin Eireman of Missouri, 12-6, in the first round. Eireman broke a 2-2 tie after two periods with a 10-point barrage in the third.
Headlee then lost a 13-2 decision to 15th-seed Nate Limmex of Purdue in the first round of consolations. Limmex scored eight points in the second period to take over the match and eliminate Headlee (15-14).