OKLAHOMA CITY – North Dakota State senior 165-pound wrestler Steven Monk wrestled to third-place on the final day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships Saturday, March 22, at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
Monk (36-2), the No. 4 seed in the tournament, pinned third-seeded Nicholas Sulzer (36-3) of Virginia 5:26 into the third-place match after trailing, 6-2, entering the third period. He becomes the second All-American of NDSU’s Division I era and the eighth in program history.
Monk’s pin over Sulzer was the 134th victory of his career – second-most in NDSU wrestling history behind Mike Langlais, who won 151 matches at 142 pounds from 1980-84. The Wausau, Wis., native went an impressive 5-1 over three days in the NCAA Championships.
With the third-place finish, Monk becomes the highest NCAA Championships finisher in program history.
Monk went 36-2 in his final season at NDSU with 14 pins, six tech falls and two major decisions. He ended the year winning 31-of-32 matches.
Monk started his run to third-place with a 5-3 decision over 11th-seeded Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (39-8) of The Citadel in the consolation semifinals Saturday morning.
Day Three Results:
165 consolation semifinals: No. 4 Steven Monk dec. No. 11 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel), 5-3
165 third-place match: No. 4 Steven Monk pins No. 3 Nicholas Sulzer (Virginia), 5:26