Bloomsburg’s Perry wins two matches at NCAA Division I tournament

DES MOINES, IA, March 23, 2013  – The only Connecticut wrestler in the 2013 NCAA Division I wrestling tournament won two matches before getting eliminated.

Middletown High graduate Richard Perry wrestled at 197 pounds for Bloomsburg University and went 2-2. Perry (30-6) opened his tournament with a 7-5 win in OT over Army’s Bryce Barnes. Trailing by one in the third period. Barnes got a takedown to take a 1-point lead but Perry was awarded a point for riding time to send the bout into OT.

In the second round, Perry faced No. 3 seed Matthew Wilps of Pittsburgh in a rematch of the Eastern Wrestling League final won by Wilps. The match was scoreless in the second period when Wilps escaped. Perry went for a leg but Wilps countered and turned it into a takedown for a 3-0 lead. Another three back points gave Wilps a 6-0 lead and he went onto a 9-1 decision.

In the consolation round, Perry beat Caleb Kolb of Nebraska, 7-3 with a takedown in each of the three periods and a point for riding. But Perry’s tournament ended with a tough 4-3 loss to No. 6 seed Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. Gadson took a 2-0 lead with a first period takedown and extended his lead to 3-1 with a second period escape. Perry’s takedown late in the second period tied the bout at 3-3. But Gadson received a bonus point for more than one minute of riding time to get the win.

Perry lost to a pair of All-Americans. Wilps finished third while Gadson finished sixth.