University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Friday, March 18
Detroit, Mich.
University of Northern Colorado
vs
NCAA Championships Day 2
Photo by: Ashley Buchholz
Alirez Concludes Unforgettable Season Friday
3/18/2022 9:12:00 PM | Wrestling
Andrew Alirez's run at the NCAA Tournament ended in the blood round
DETROIT, Mich. – Sophomore Andrew Alirez made it the furthest any UNC Bear has gone at the NCAA Championships since Justin Gaethje was an All-American in 2010. The Greeley native advanced to the blood round before bowing out of the championship.
Alirez had a gauntlet ahead of him entering Friday having to win three bouts to become the program's first All-American in 12 years. UNC's first Big 12 champion was up for the challenge, falling just short of the All-America status.
In his first bout of the day, he defeated Joseph Zargo of Wisconsin by major decision 8-0. He recorded three takedowns in the victory and earned the riding time extra point with a mark of 3:36.
The win brought him up against Dresden Simon of Central Michigan. While Simon earned the early takedown in the first period, Alirez led after the first three minutes 3-2 with an escape and takedown of his own. With the choice in the second period, he chose bottom and worked a reversal to lead 5-2 going to the third period. Alirez outscored his opponent 4-3 in it to secure the 9-5 victory with a takedown and two-point nearfall.
In the blood round, Alirez ended up matched against Jakob Bergland of Minnesota. Alirez jumped out to the 2-0 lead halfway through the first but a reversal by Bergland put him in a tough spot, leading to a pin at 2:35.
Alirez ends the year with a 25-5 record in an unforgettable season that included being the program's first Big 12 Champion.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Wrestling, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
Alirez had a gauntlet ahead of him entering Friday having to win three bouts to become the program's first All-American in 12 years. UNC's first Big 12 champion was up for the challenge, falling just short of the All-America status.
In his first bout of the day, he defeated Joseph Zargo of Wisconsin by major decision 8-0. He recorded three takedowns in the victory and earned the riding time extra point with a mark of 3:36.
The win brought him up against Dresden Simon of Central Michigan. While Simon earned the early takedown in the first period, Alirez led after the first three minutes 3-2 with an escape and takedown of his own. With the choice in the second period, he chose bottom and worked a reversal to lead 5-2 going to the third period. Alirez outscored his opponent 4-3 in it to secure the 9-5 victory with a takedown and two-point nearfall.
In the blood round, Alirez ended up matched against Jakob Bergland of Minnesota. Alirez jumped out to the 2-0 lead halfway through the first but a reversal by Bergland put him in a tough spot, leading to a pin at 2:35.
Alirez ends the year with a 25-5 record in an unforgettable season that included being the program's first Big 12 Champion.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Wrestling, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
Players Mentioned
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