March 15, 2008
Cedar Rapids, IA – The first University of Mary student-athlete to earn NCAA All-America honors, Jesse Laber placed fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championship Wrestling Tournament.
Laber pinned Zach Majoca of Pittsburgh Johnstown in the match for fifth. His second win by fall in the tournament, Laber finished Majocha at the 2:46 mark.
This is the third time the senior heavyweight from Napoleon, ND, has earned All-America honors for the Marauders. The first two times were in the NAIA when he won the 197-pound title as a sophomore and finished third as a freshman.
After winning two of three matches on day one of the tournament, Laber also won two of three on day two. In the wrestleback quarterfinals on Saturday, Laber used riding time to defeat Anthony Lewis of Nebraska Omaha 3-2. It was the second straight time Laber beat Lewis, also defeating him at the NCAA North Regional.
The win over Lewis propelled Laber into the wrestleback semifinals. A win would have put Laber in position to compete for third place, but instead he suffered a 3-1 loss to Brady Wilson of Minnesota State University, dropping Laber into the fifth-place match against Majocha.
On day one of the tournament, Laber opened with a 6-1 victory over Lynn Panko of the University of Indianapolis, followed by a 6-1 loss to Cy Wainwright of Newberry College in the second round. Laber guaranteed himself a top-eight finish at the national tournament and All-America status by pinning Steve Franklin of San Francisco State 1:53 into their consolation quarterfinal match. It was Laber’s third match of the day.
Laber’s two pins tied him for third-most among all wrestlers in the tournament. He also earned 13 team points to place the Marauders 23rd in the tournament.
Laber finishes the season with a 19-3 record. Two of his losses came at the national championships and the third was at the NCAA regional.
A two-sport athlete, Laber was named to the All-NSIC football second team as a defensive end in 2007.
This is the first NCAA National Championship appearance for a Marauders grappler. U-Mary is in its first season as an active member of the NCAA, making this the first year the Marauders are eligible to compete in NCAA tournaments.
