Burgey to Fight for Title, Cloud to Stand on Podium as Well
William Penn University Athletics
Des Moines–Eric Burgey (So., Easton, Pa., Easton HS) continued his march on history as he advanced to the 149-pound finals of the NAIA Wrestling National Championships Friday.
The sophomore was not alone as fellow 149-pounder Carey Cloud (Fr., Havelock, N.C., Tucker HS) also made huge waves and will also receive All-America accolades Saturday.
First and foremost, though, is the fact that Burgey will stand in the circle Saturday evening, fighting for just the fourth individual national title in school history versus #4 Jimmy Eggemeyer of Southern Oregon.
Burgey, who is now a two-time All-American, reached this point with two huge wins Friday, defeating #10 Anthonie Linares of Cumberlands (Ky.) 13-6 in the quarterfinals and #1 TJ Moen of Grand View 4-1 in the semifinals.
Eggemeyer (27-8) knocked off #3 Shay Shive (Missouri Valley) in the semifinals 6-5, denying Burgey the chance to avenge his only loss of the year (9-6 to Shive in the Central Qualifier). The two have never wrestled before, although the SOU athlete did qualify for last year’s meet (two wins shy of being an All-American).
Burgey is the first Statesmen to reach the finals since Darren Cotton in 2007 (he finished second at 149 pounds).
Likely taking one of the most difficult roads to the finals of any wrestler this week, the sophomore has defeated the #1, #2, #7, and #10 ranked grapplers in his weight class to reach the championship bout.
As aforementioned, Cloud also put his skills on display, and due to great results, the freshman will also step foot on the podium Saturday night.
Cloud began the day in the loser’s bracket, but moved forward with an 8-2 win over Cody Green of Midland (Neb.). Then came likely his toughest opponent, #2 Mike Vassar of Great Falls (Mont.), but like his teammate Burgey, Cloud came out on top with a 5-3 decision.
The win put him in position to fight for an All-American laurel, and against Nicholas Clarke of York (Neb.), he accomplished that goal with an overtime fall (7:52).
His winning streak was snapped at three in his next match, however, as Linares avenged a previous Statesmen setback with a 3-2 win.
Cloud will conclude his first Championship meet by again taking on #6 Bradley Steele of Dickinson State (N.D.) in the seventh-place match. The 149-pounder fell to Steele 3-2 in overtime Thursday on the winner’s side.
The two All-Americans are the most for the Statesmen in a single campaign since having three in 2008.
Isaiah Mayorquin (Fr., Yuma, Ariz., Cibola HS) was seeking to also add his name to that list, but that dream was dashed quickly Friday with an 11-6 loss to Albert Tapia of Wayland Baptist (Texas). He finished the week 1-2.
William Penn moved up to 18th out of 35 teams with 29 points. #1 Grand View has likely wrapped up the team crown, its first ever, with 141.5 points. #3 Southern Oregon is a distant second with 118.5 points. Both teams have four individuals in the finals, while the Vikings also have five in Saturday’s other placing matches (two for SOU).
