SIUE wrestler advances at NCAA Division Wrestling Championships

NEW YORK, N.Y. – SIUE's Freddie Rodriguez advanced out of day one of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Madison Square Garden.

The junior from Lansing, Michigan, defeated Virginia's Nick Hermann 4-3 in the consolation bracket. Rodriguez, a 125-pounder, next wrestles No. 16 seed Elijah Oliver on Friday.

SIUE's John Fahy, however, was eliminated from the national championships. The 149-pounder was defeated by No. 4 seed Matthew Cimato, of Drexel, 9-3. It was later downed by Buffalo's Colt Cotton in a 1:03 fall.

"I think he let the big stage get to him a bit," said SIUE Head Coach Jeremy Spates. "It took him out of his game plan."

Rodriguez, who joined Fahy as a Southern Conference champion, battled with the No. 2 seed Joey Dance in his opening match. Dance, who entered the match with a 29-2 record, topped Rodriguez 8-2.

Spates said Rodriguez wrestled aggressively.

"He came to wrestle," said Spates. "He wrestled hard and went for it."

In his win over Herrmann, Rodriguez said it was important for him to be the aggressor in the match.

"It was back and forth," said Rodriguez. "I was mainly trying to wear him down."

Even though Rodriguez was outsized by Hermann, he used lightning-quick moves to counter the Cavalier.

"Looking at him you would necessarily think he's powerful," said Spates. "He's a lot stronger than he looks."

Rodriguez was impressed with near-capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden.

"It's amazing. I've never wrestled in front of this many people. If you just look around, it's crazy but I love it. Wrestling in front of that many people is awesome," he added.