Final Brackets | Final Team Standings
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Saint John’s University sophomore Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) defeated Wartburg’s (Iowa) Zach McKray 5-2 to become the fourth wrestling national champion in the school’s history at the 2009 NCAA Division III championships Saturday, March 7, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Batsukh becomes the first national champion since current head coach Brandon Novak won the 197-pound title in 2001.
Sophomore Dustin Baxter (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) finished seventh at 184 pounds to also earn All-American honors (top eight). Baxter fell to North Central’s (Ill.) Gabe Youel 3-1 in overtime before defeating Wheaton’s (Ill.) Toby Boltz, 7-4.
Batsukh defeated Nick Garber of Waynesburg (Pa.) and Jordan Loy of Loras (Iowa) by scores of 14-9 and 9-3, respectively, to advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 6. Batsukh upset top-seeded Austin Bautista of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 in the 141-pound semifinals to advance to the championship match.
Baxter, meanwhile, defeated the College of New Jersey’s Scott Kelley 6-2 in the first round at 184 before falling to top-seeded Michael Wilcox of Delaware Valley, 5-4 in triple overtime. Baxter then defeated Wartburg’s Romeo Djoumessi, the No. 2 seed, 13-11 in his first match of wrestlebacks on Friday.
Junior Mogi Baatar (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) broke his hand in a 6-1 loss to Wartburg’s Matt Kelly following his first-round bye at 133, and then lost to Ithaca’s Chad Winowich, 8-3.
Sophomore Matt Baarson (Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park) fell to Messiah’s (Pa.) Craig Gin 5-2 in the first round, before bouncing back with a 14-5 win over Jonas Flok of Lakeland (Wis.) in the consolation bracket of 157. Baarson then lost to Ithaca’s (N.Y.) Willie Horwath, 9-6.