New York, N.Y.- Down 6-0 after period one in an elimination match, many believed redshirt senior Greg Flournoy's storied George Mason career was over.
With both the 2016 NCAA Men's Wrestling Championships and 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament beginning on the exact same day, it was to be expected that crazy games and unpredictable match endings would occur on March 17.
Flournoy began the day as an unseeded underdog against the 15th ranked wrestler in the 157 pound weight division, Rider's Chad Walsh. Walsh had previously defeated Flournoy for third place in the Eastern Wrestling League Championships earlier in March.
Both wrestlers were conservative to start the match. Near the end of period one, Walsh was able to get Flournoy in a headlock that turned into a takedown giving the Rider wrestler a 2-0 lead.
In the second period, Flournoy started on bottom but was able to get back into the match with a reversal. Walsh would end up getting a point for an escape giving him a 3-2 lead heading into the decisive third period.
After Walsh got another escape point to move his lead to 4-2, Flournoy continued to battle valiantly. Eventually, Walsh produced a takedown followed by a four point near fall to push the match out of reach. With another point tacked on for riding time, Walsh would defeat Flournoy by major decision in round one, 11-2.
The captain would then have to wait close to five hours before getting a chance to redeem himself on the mat against Northern Illinois' Andrew Morse in the consolation bracket.
When it was finally time for Flournoy to compete, it appeared as though he was still stuck in the mire of the previous match. Morse jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and had Flournoy on the ropes, nearly pinning the Patriot. Somehow, Flournoy was able to withstand that pressure and survive until the end of the period.
The Rappahanock County, Va. native started the second period on top and locked up a cradle almost getting the fall, but instead earned a four point near fall. Flournoy would also erase most of the riding time that Morse built up against him in the first period, which would be crucial later in the match.
Still trailing 6-4 at the start of the third, Flournoy and Morse started neutral before the Mason man would tie the match with a takedown. Flournoy would then ride Morse for the remainder of the period and earn over a minute of riding time to produce a 7-6 decision victory.
“Just watching a couple matches here you see upsets happen and people come back all the time,” Flournoy said. “I just had to keep believing in myself and know it's never over until I leave the mat.”
Flournoy will now face Columbia's Markus Scheidel in the next round of the consolation bracket. There is still work to be done if Flournoy is to place at the NCAA Championships, but the captain's desire and will to win puts him in a good position heading into day two.
Coach's Quote:
“Greg showed a lot of heart coming back from the 6-0 deficit and really kept his composure,” Head Coach Joe Russell said. “Greg worked himself back into the match and I was pleased to see him ride his opponent for over a minute to secure the win.”
Results:
Chad Walsh (Rider) MD Greg Flournoy (George Mason) 11-2
Greg Flournoy (George Mason) DEC Andrew Morse (NIU) 7-6
