ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Cleveland State wrestling trio of Marcus Robinson, DeAndre Nassar and Ben Smith opened competition at the 2021 NCAA Championships Thursday, with Smith advancing to the second day of action after picking up a consolation first round victory.
Smith earned a spot in the consolation second round after picking up a 12-4 major decision over No. 25 J.J. Dixon of Oregon State in his first round consolation match. After holding a 4-1 lead to begin the second period, Smith extended his lead with an escape and a takedown during the second period, going into the final frame with a 7-2 lead. With a reversal early on in the third period, Smith gained a 9-2 advantage, and was then able to post a takedown late in the frame, finishing with the 12-4 major decision.
Smith was competing in the consolation bracket after dropping his NCAA Championship debut match at 197 pounds against No. 9 Noah Adams of West Virginia (6-0 dec.).
Smith will now face No. 10 Cameron Caffey of Michigan State in the consolation second round, with matches slated to start at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow (Friday, March 19).
Nassar made his NCAA Championship debut as the No. 26 seed at 184 pounds, coming up short against seventh-seeded Brit Wilson of Northern Illinois in a 10-3 decision in the first round. Nassar then dropped a hard fought match in the consolations, dropping a 3-2 match against No. 10 Tate Samuelson of Wyoming.
Wrestling at 149 pounds as the No. 30 seed, Robinson opened the championships against No. 3 Brock Mauller of Missouri, dropping a 12-1 major decision. In his consolation match, Robinson came up short in a 4-0 decision against Greg Gaxiola of Hofstra.
First Round
149. #3 Brock Mauller (MZZ) over #30 Marcus Robinson (CSU), 12-1 MD
184. #7 Brit Wilson (NIU) over #26 DeAndre Nassar (CSU), 10-3 dec.
197. #9 Noah Adams (WVU) over #24 Ben Smith (CSU), 6-0 dec.
Consolation First Round
149. #32 Greg Gaxiola (HOF) over #30 Marcus Robinson (CSU), 4-0 dec.
184. #10 Tate Samuelson (WYO) over #26 DeAndre Nassar (CSU), 3-2 dec.
197. #24 Ben Smith (CSU) over #25 J.J. Dixon (ORST), 12-4 MD