PHOTO: Courtesy of Lindsey Mechalik
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – David Devine's run at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships came to an end Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Riding time proved to be the difference in his first round wrestle-back match against Bloomsburg's Justin Grant. Devine dropped a 5-4 decision at the buzzer to Grant, who collected his 31st victory of the season.
"This is not the way David wanted to finish his career at SIUE," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates.
Devine also was defeated in the first round of the Championships 12-4 by Penn State's Jonathan Gingrich, who was the 14th seed.
Devine completed his collegiate career with a 26-14 record his senior season. He led all SIUE wrestlers in wins this season and became the first wrestler in school history to advance to the NCAA Division I Championships since the Cougars made the leap to Division I status.
"He was a rock for us all season," said Spates. "We knew we count on our heavyweight to scrap for us all season. He's a conference champion and an NCAA qualifier. He did something special for the program. I'm pretty proud of him."
