KEARNEY, Ne. (March 12, 2011) – John Paukovits (Northampton, PA/Northampton) concluded his fantastic KU career by placing sixth at the 2011 NCAA Division II Wrestling championships at the University of Nebraska Kearney.
Paukovits (149 pounds) entered the fifth place match having split his two matches earlier in the day. He was paired up against St. Cloud State's Jacob D. Horn (27-10) in what proved to be a match neither wrestler wanted to give up. Paukovits came out strong, earning five points in the opening period off a near fall, takedown and escape. Paukovits took a 5-3 lead into the third period where Horn chose to start on the bottom. After Horn got a point off an escape, Paukovits fell victim to a Horn takedown while combined with riding time, carried Horn to a 7-5 victory.
“I came into the third period with a small lead and was just hoping to hang on,” said Paukovits. “This was been the most I've wrestled in a two-day span in my entire career and was just exhausted.”
Paukovits came into Saturday's third session in hopes of a third place finish after already achieving the honor of becoming an All-American on Friday. He opened up his day against Kenneth Jordan (24-4) from Adams State. After an early takedown in the first period, Paukovits took down Jordan by fall in 2 minutes, 48 seconds.
Moving onto the consolation bracket's semifinal round, Paukovits went up against Augustana's Nate Herda (25-8). Each wrestler scored off a pair of takedowns, taking a 2-2 tie late into the third period. After Herda earned an escape point, Paukovits was unable to get a late takedown, dropping a tough 3-2 decision. Herda ended up placing third.
The senior wrestler from Northampton, Pa. finishes his career with 66 wins. He is eighth on the Kutztown all-time wins list. He won 23 matches this season, tying his previous career high in 2008-09. Paukovits came to KU in hopes of one day becoming an All-American, and thanks to a lot of hard work and dedication to the program, he achieved his goal this year.
“The individual success feels great,” said Paukovits. “Knowing that all the hard work I've put in over the years has paid off makes it all worth it. From Saturday morning runs to putting in time in the gym during the offseason, it's great to see it all pay off.”
Paukovits punched his ticket to nationals by going undefeated at the Super Region I tournament, earning him the recognition of becoming a regional champion for the first time in his career. He placed fifth at last year's regional tournament when wrestling at 141 pounds. He also placed sixth at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tournament in his sophomore year. Paukovits finished the year with five falls with his fastest coming in 32 seconds.
“John really wrestled awesome today and we couldn't be prouder of him,” said head wrestling coach Robert Fisher. “The level of maturity and leadership he has brought to the program over the past three years has been great. He's been there for us match in and match out and it's a great honor for him and the program in becoming an All-American.”
Austin Williams (Pen Argyl, PA/Pen Argyl) (133) and Seth Csaszar (Northampton, PA/Northampton) (184) also competed for KU but were unable to make it to Saturday's third session. These two sophomores had great seasons for the Golden Bears and coming up a little short at nationals is nothing either of these competitors can hang their head about.
“Competing at nationals and gaining that extra experience is an invaluable quality to have,” said Fisher. “Both those guys competed hard this weekend and we couldn't be prouder of them. They both had tremendous years for us and I'm looking for both these guys to make it here again next year and really do some damage.”
Also a regional champion, Williams ended his year with 25 wins, an increase of three from his freshman year when he won 22 matches. He was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Super Region I tournament, a PSAC Athlete of the Week while also placing fourth at the PSAC championship earlier this year. Williams, yet still disappointed about not going further in the national tournament, has already looked at the positives of competing at nationals with still having two more years of competition.
“I would certainly consider this a successful year for me, but this weekend will definitely motivate me to get back here next year,” said Williams. “I think I felt a little extra pressure with this being my first time coming out here. But I'm really looking forward to getting back here next year to prove what I can do on the mat without that added pressure.”
Despite not wrestling for half the season, Csaszar showed a lot of heart in his first trip to nationals. He ended his season with nine wins in his first year at KU, including a fourth place finish at regionals. Csaszar admits he has some more things to work on, but looks forward to the challenge of improving himself and earning a return trip to the national tournament.
“This was a great experience for me to get out here and compete against some of the best wrestlers in the country,” said Csaszar. “I just came to Kutztown at Christmas time and it was a little tough jumping right into the middle of the season. I think next year I'll have a lot less nerves, but overall this was a great year for us.”
--KU--
