Joseph Alessandro First Griffin to Wrestle in a National Final
Seton Hill redshirt freshman Joseph Alessandro made history on Saturday night at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Alessandro became the first Griffin to wrestle in a national final. Even though he came up short in the final match, falling 12-8 to Darren Wynn of McKendree, Alessandro earned All American honors in the 141 pound weight class with a second place finish. Its the highest finish for a Griffin wrestler at the national tournament.
Alessandro described the entire experience at nationals as "really breathtaking at first." He stated, "I had nerves at first and the tough part was calming down my nerves. I was able to do that and advance throughout each round into the finals."
“I believe in my training and what Coach Tucker teaches and this week shows that it can be very successful.”
In the championship final, Wynn took an early 4-2 lead in the first period with two takedowns while Joey had two points from escapes. Wynn then got a late takedown in the period and added four back points for a 10-4 lead after one period. The second period was low scoring as each wrestler only picked up one point with Wynn leading 11-5 after two periods of action. Alessandro escaped early in the third period and got a late takedown but time ran out as Wynn won the national title by a 12-8 score.
Head coach Brian Tucker said about the match, "Joey definitely went after it. He was able to score points but in the end, just ran out of time. I could not be more proud of the efforts of Joey all weekend."
Alessandro advanced to the finals with a victory over Matt Nelson in the semifinals on Saturday afternoon. Joey got a takedown and an escape in the first period to take a 3-2 lead after one period. A wild second period saw both wrestlers scoring with Alessandro holding a 9-8 advantage after two periods of action. He used a four point near fall in the third period for the 13-10 win.
Asked about the what the weekend means to him, Joey stated, "It gives me confidence that I can be the best. I believe in my training and what Coach Tucker teaches and this week shows that it can be very successful. There is only one way to go from here, up to the top of the podium."
Coach Tucker added, "Joey's second place finish is huge for our program. It shows the strides the program is making and that we are on the right path. We have kids that don't want to give up and want to be on the biggest of stages." Tucker finished, "It's great with Joey being a local kid. What he accomplished is no small feat. It shows that our program is moving in the right direction.”