Three head to championships

Three IU wrestlers, including the team's only two seniors, have earned extensions to their seasons. The top seven finishers in each weight class at the Big Ten Championships earn themselves automatic bids to the NCAA Championships in Kansas City, Mo., March 20 to 22. And, at the conclusion of the second day of the Big Ten Championships, junior Coyte Cooper and seniors Ty Matthews and Greg Schaefer had earned trips to Kansas City.\nCooper, who began the weekend as the No.1 seed in the 141-pound weight class, proved why he holds the No. 6 ranking in the nation. After a first round bye, Cooper defeated Illinois freshman Cal Ferry by an 11-1 major decision in the quarterfinals.\nCooper's semi-final meet versus Ohio State junior Jeff Ratliff proved to be one of the more dramatic of the tournament. In a seesaw battle, Cooper earned the first points of the bout with a takedown. But by the end of the second period Ratliff had taken a 5-4 lead. But, Cooper was able to scrounge up one more point before time ran out and sent the match into overtime. In sudden death overtime, Cooper struck first. Cooper's overtime takedown of Ratliff gave him a victory and a shot at the 141-pound Big Ten title. \nIn the championship bout, Cooper had to face Penn State junior Scott Moore. Moore was the only wrestler to hand Cooper a loss during the Big Ten season, when he pinned Cooper on Jan. 24, the Hoosiers first conference meet of the year. \nA victory against Moore would have given Cooper the championship and at least a small measure of revenge, not to mention the Hoosiers' first Big Ten champion since Roger Chandler in 1997. But once again, Moore proved to be too much for Cooper.\nMoore jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and was able to survive a late comeback by Cooper to earn an 8-5 victory.\nMatthews and Schaefer, IU's two seniors, also extended their careers at least until the end of the third week of March.\nMatthews earned his NCAA Championship bid by taking third place in the 184-pound weight class. After a first round bye and a 3-2 quarterfinal victory over Purdue freshman Ben Wissel, Matthews suffered a setback by losing to Penn State senior Mark Becks 3-2 which sent him into the consolation brackets. \nMatthews did not even have to face Wisconsin junior Ralph DeNisco because of a medical forfeit. Matthews earned third place by defeating Illinois freshman Pete Freidl 8-7. \nSchaefer qualified for his third NCAA Championship by virtue of a seventh place finish in the 133-pound division. After a first round bye and a 7-0 loss to Penn State junior Josh Moore, Schaefer rebounded by defeating Michigan sophomore Shaun Newton 10-6. After another setback, a 6-3 loss to Purdue sophomore Rene Hernandez, Schaefer needed a win to qualify for his third NCAA championship. A loss to Michigan State sophomore Shane Martin would end Schaefer's collegiate career, but Schaefer was able to outlast the Spartan sophomore as his 12-5 decision gave him his third NCAA championship appearance.