Roy Eliminated From NCAA Wrestling Championships
Mar 18 | Wrestling
ST. LOUIS, MO – Rutgers senior Andy Roy (Wall, NJ) saw his decorated collegiate career come to a close Friday evening at the 75th annual Division I Wrestling Championships at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, MO.
“Andy had an outstanding career,” said Rutgers head coach John Sacchi. “He is the only four-time NCAA qualifier in our program’s history. Andy did a lot for Rutgers wrestling and gave us visibility on the national scene. We are really proud of everything he did for us. To come this far with the injuries he had is a testimony to his toughness. He has done so much for our program and we are proud of everything he accomplished as a Scarlet Knight.”
Roy, seeded seventh and ranked as high as fifth nationally at 174 pounds, was officially eliminated from competition from the NCAA Championships after dropping a 9-2 decision to Northern Iowa’s Eric Hauan, seeded ninth and ranked eighth nationally, in the quarterfinals of the consolation bracket. Roy scored the first point in the match with a second-period escape but Hauan countered with a takedown. Another escape by Roy evened the match at 2-2 heading into the final period. Hauan seized control of the match with a pair of takedowns and a near fall in the final period to take the victory. Roy falls one match short of placing among the top eight finishers in the nation and earning All-America status, ending with a 3-2 record at this season’s NCAA Championships.
In unfortunate irony, Roy ended his 2003-04 season in the same fashion, losing a 7-5, controversial decision to Hauan a year ago at the same point in the brackets. Last season, Roy appeared to have the match won in regulation but was called for stalling with two seconds left on the clock, allowing Hauan to tie it up and force overtime. Hauan took advantage of the sudden change of momentum and sealed the match in the extra period last season.
Roy began this year’s second day of competition with a pair of victories against Eastern Illinois’ Ken Robertson and Iowa State’s Nick Passolano in consolation action. He opened competition on Friday with a pin of Robertson in 4:19, then decisioned Passolano, 8-5, earning an escape to end the second period and using a takedown with 30 seconds remaining in the final period to seal the victory. The successful morning marked Roy’s 101st and 102nd career victories as a member of the Scarlet Knights.
Roy became the first Scarlet Knight in the program’s history to qualify for the NCAA Championships all four years of his eligibility. He was a three-time EIWA Championship finalist. He finished with a 25-5 overall record this season and completed his second-consecutive perfect dual meet record in 2004-05. Roy ended his career with an outstanding 102-27 record as a Scarlet Knight, which ranks him ninth on the Rutgers all-time wins list
