Freshman Randy Batten was the 1975 NCAA Division II Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman Randy Batten won the 118-pound weight class at the 1975 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in East Stroudsburg, Pa. Batten scored five wins and two falls on his way to earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors for the tournament.
Turner Jackson was also crowned national champion at the event. His title at 158 pounds helped the Mocs place third overall in the team race. John Kalvelage was third at 135, while David Weeks was fourth at 177, giving both of them All-American honors.
Head coach Jim Morgan took home National Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Mocs to a 19-1 overall record.
Batten was the fourth seed at 118 and opened his title run with a 6-0 win over Missouri State's Greg Holmes. He followed that with a pin against Lincoln's Kevin Hannah. In the semifinals, Batten faced top-seeded Bruce Kesserling of Akron. Batten dominated that match with a 14-2 win.
In the finals against Northern Iowa's third-seeded Dave Cunningham, Batten was up 4-1 in the second period when he scored the winning pin at 2:28.
Jackson lived up to his No. 1 seed with a pair of pins in four wins in the tournament. He started off with a pin against San Francisco State's Kevin Munford (7:55) and followed that with a shutout against Jerry Esses of Seattle Pacific (6-0).
In the semifinals, Jackson defeated the No. 2-seed Craig Artist of Nebraska-Omaha (14-8). In the finals, he faced Bob Stetler, the No. 3 seed from the host East Stroudsburg State. With the score tied at 2-2, Jackson pinned Stetler at the 4:31 mark. That win was Jackson's 55
th in a row, capping off a perfect 33-0 season.
Northern Iowa took the team race with 112 points. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville was second with 71.5, followed by Chattanooga at 67.5. North Dakota State (66.5) and San Francisco State (59) rounded out the top five.
TEAM SCORES
1. Northern Iowa - 112
2. SIU-Edwardsville – 71.5
3. Chattanooga – 67.5
4. North Dakota State – 66.5
5. San Francisco State - 59
Individual Results
118 – Randy Batten – National Champion – Most Outstanding Wrestler
Greg Holmes (Missouri State) – W-D, 6-0
Kevin Hannah (Lincoln) – W-Fall (2:43)
Tom Fink (Bloomsburg) – W-D, 8-7
Bruce Kesserling (Akron) – W-MD, 14-2
Dave Cunningham (Northern Iowa) – W-Fall (2:28)
135 – John Kalvelage – 3rd Place
Willis McAleese (Northwest Missouri) – W-MD, 12-3
Russel Waag (Western State) – W-D, 11-4
Michael Block (Nebraska-Omaha) – W-D, 12-5
Jim Miller (Northern Iowa) – L-D, 3-3 (5-2 OT)
Jeff Andvik (North Dakota State) – W-D, 6-5
Russel Waag (Western State) – W-Fall (5:45)
142 - Randy Shipley
Tom Arlis (Western Illinois) – L-D, 5-6
158 – Turner Jackson – National Champion
Kevin Morford (San Francisco State) – W-Fall (7:55)
Jerry Esses (Seattle Pacific) – W-D, 6-0
Craig Artist (Nebraska-Omaha) – W-D, 14-8
Bob Stetler (East Stroudsburg) – W-Fall (4:31)
167 - James Holman
Rick Nelson (Western Illinois) – L-D, 2-8
177 - David Weeks – 4th Place
Randy Park (South Dakota State) – W-D, 4-0
Steve Scheib (Bloomsburg) – W-D, 6-3
Dick Erickson (Northern Iowa) – L-Fall (7:16)
Rick Lee (North Dakota) – W-D, 4-3
Steve Scheib (Bloomsburg) – L-MD, 0-12
