Elliot Smith: Wrestling
Elliot Smith has been chosen Springfield College's Male Maroon Club Athlete of the Week (Feb. 25) after qualifying for the NCAA Championships in wrestling this past weekend at the 2008 New England Wrestling Association Championships hosted by the University of Southern Maine.The Pride as a team placed fourth out of 16 teams with 89 points. Smith was named All-New England for his efforts over the weekend.
A native of Richville, N.Y., Smith earned a wild card berth to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships after finishing second in the 184-pound weight class.
Smith opened up the championships with a 14-3 win over Charles Segal from Wesleyan before pinning Landon Nelson from Plymouth State in 2:49. In the fourth round, Smith cruised past Nicholas Logan of Plymouth State, 15-3.
In the sixth round, Smith fell to James Quinlan, the eventual winner, from Bridgewater State, by a count of 8-2. Smith then went on to defeat Bryan Lenhardt from Johnson & Wales, pinning him in a time of 5:50.
Quinlan then once again defeated Smith, 4-0, to claim the championship. Smith was then selected by the coaches as a wild card to attend the NCAA Division III Championships hosted by Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 7-8.