March 4, 2003
Meyer and Crandall Lead Truman at NCAA Midwest Regional Wrestling Championships
Truman hosted the NCAA Division II Midwest Wrestling Regional Championships on Saturday and placed seventh out of 11 teams at the meet. For the Bulldogs, sophomore Merrick Meyer (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell North) was the champion at 141 pounds, while senior Corey Crandall (Buckner, Mo./Ft. Osage) won the 157-pound class. Both will now represent the Bulldogs at the NCAA Division II National Championships March 14-15 at West Liberty State College in Wheeling, W.Va.
It will be a repeat appearance for Meyer who made the trip last year after placing third at the regional meet. He is now 30-2 for the season and 63-13 over the last two years. It will be Crandall's first journey to the NCAA championships and he enters the meet with a 20-10 record this year, but is 83-63 for his career at Truman. They were the first regional champions for the Bulldogs since at least 1988.
The top four finishers in each weight class qualified for the NCAA championships. Should one of the top four individuals be unable to compete at the national meet, the fifth-place winner will serve as an alternate.
Sophomore Gregg Nurrenbern (Fulton, Mo.) placed fifth at 184 pounds and has a record of 27-6 in 2002-03 after going 19-23 two years ago.