Abrupt finish for Flores after day one of NCAA Championships

Columbia’s wrestling season came to an end on Thursday when Ryan Flores, the Light Blue’s sole representative at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, was ousted on the tournament’s first day after losing in his first two matches. The sophomore heavyweight, who entered with high expectations and the tenth seed in his weight class, will now have a long off-season to contemplate next year’s campaign.

After strong performances at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships two weeks ago, the Lions were hoping that junior Lou Miller and senior Derek Sickles would join Flores at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Miller finished third in his weight class at the EIWA Championships while Sickles came in fifth, but neither received the at-large bids required to send them to the NCAA Championships. Flores, on the other hand, qualified automatically with a first-place finish.

In Thursday’s action, Flores unexpectedly fell out of the championship bracket with a loss to Minnesota’s Benjamin Berhow in his first match of the day. Berhow, like Flores a sophomore and a veteran of the 2008 NCAA Championships, defeated Columbia’s heavyweight with an 8-4 decision. With the loss, Flores found himself in the consolation bracket facing a match-up with Oklahoma’s Nathan Fernandez.

In the second match, Fernandez led on the scoreboard from the start, allowing Flores to make a late comeback but ultimately prevailing with an 8-7 decision. Fernandez’s victory ended Flores’ brief run in his first day at the three-day tournament.

Although his season ended abruptly, Flores still finished the 2008-2009 campaign with very impressive statistics. He was undefeated in dual-meets, going 18-0 overall (5-0 Ivy League). His 31-5 overall record landed him first team All-Ivy honors.
As they head into the 2009 off-season, the Lions can look forward to the coming campaign with the knowledge that stars such as Flores, Miller, and current sophomore Eren Civan will all be returning next season.