Hathaway reaches NCAA tournament at Oregon State

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Jack Hathaway adjusted to the rigors of college life and has reaped the rewards.

The former Iowa City West prep would like to add some hardware.

Hathaway, a red-shirt freshman at Oregon State, qualified for the 133-pound bracket of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. He qualified for the tournament by winning the Pac-12 Championship and posting a 28-10 record.

'There have been some ups and downs,” Hathaway said. 'Ultimately, I'm here.”

His start with the Beavers was slightly delayed after he was a four-time state medalist, claiming the 2011 Class 3A 125-pound state title. He was 200-16 with 137 career pins for the Trojans.

He spent one year out of wrestling, recuperating from a shoulder injury and last season was devoted to improving his wrestling skills. He was 20-11 in his red-shirt season.

'It was more about getting my shoulder healthy, rehabbing that,” Hathaway said. 'That took a lot. Last year was focused on getting better.”

The transition to college life on and off the mat was an eye-opening experience for Hathaway, who fell to Illinois' fifth-seeded Zane Richards in the opening round.

'I learned how much of a difference there is between high school and college,” Hathaway said. 'It's a big difference. It was definitely tough, but I'm there.”

He shares an Eastern Iowa connection with his coach. Oregon State Coach Jimmy Zalesky was a two-time state champion for Cedar Rapids Prairie and a three-time NCAA champion for the University of Iowa. He said Hathaway has made a lot of progress and was excited to see him compete at the NCAA tournament.

'All freshmen come in and learns how high the bar is and how high you have to go,” said Zalesky, a former coach for the Hawkeyes. 'He was exceptional in high school but I think he had to have that red-shirt year to realize what he had to do at this level to be successful here.”

Zalesky said the ceiling was pretty high for Hathaway. The key is continued growth and improvement. He does not anticipate any reason for that not to happen.

'I think he can keep getting better,” Zalesky said. 'I think if he has the desire and puts the work in I think he will keep getting better every year.”

He is part of a strong West presence here. Nick Moore is wrestling at 165 for Iowa and Derek St. John is coaching for North Dakota State. Hathaway had not crossed paths with them Thursday.

With the tournament so close to home, he expected good support from those his hometown.

'There were a few guys coming down to watch,” Hathaway said. 'I have my family coming and will see them.”

UNI'S MOORE STARTS STRONG

University of Northern Iowa's Cooper Moore produced the first pin of the tournament from a wrestler, representing an Iowa program.

Moore, seeded 13th at 165, decked Purdue's Pat Robinson in 1:37 of the opening round. It provided a boost of confidence.

'It's huge,” Moore said. 'Just creating momentum for this tournament, getting on a roll and just continuing that and building confidence off each match.”

Moore secured double underhooks with his arms and then dropped Robinson to his back. The UNI sophomore notched his seventh fall of the season, improving to 23-5.

Moore is making his second straight NCAA appearance. He learned to harness the electricity of the event, staying calm and embracing the moment from his experience a year ago.

'There are a lot of emotions out there,” Moore said. 'There's nothing like this tournament. Last year, I felt like I've been in big tournaments here and there and it's not going to be that different, but it is.”

UPSET SPECIALS

The opening session witnessed plenty of unexpected results and surprising upsets, according to seeds. All 10 first and seventh seeds advanced to the second round, but all other groups of seeds suffered one loss.

The biggest upset on paper came at 165. Nebraska's Austin Wilson dropped Iowa State's second-seeded and two-time All-American Michael Moreno, 6-5.

'Mike didn't set the tone,” Iowa State Coach Kevin Jackson said. 'He didn't attack him early. He didn't control the tie-up. I think, for some reason, he thought it was going to be easy. This tournament is never easy no matter who you wrestle.”

Iowa and UNI also suffered upsets. The Hawkeyes' two-time All-American and third-seeded heavyweight Bobby Telford fell, 7-5, to Maryland's Spencer Myers. The Panthers 125-pound All-American Dylan Peters lost a 12-10 decision to American's David Terao. Both need to win four straight matches to repeat as All-Americans with a top-eight finish.

'It's obviously a hit,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. 'That's not where he wants to be. Devastating? I don't think you can determine that right now.”

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