March 20, 2004

Northern Illinois Match-By-Match Results
184: Greg Jones (West Virginia) dec. Ben Heizer (Northern Illinois) 10-5

Ben Heizer Finishes Second At NCAA Wrestling National Championships

ST. LOUIS, MO – Ben Heizer’s quest to become the second NCAA Division I national champion in Northern Illinois University history fell short on Saturday (March 20), as No. 1 Greg Jones of West Virginia upended Heizer by a 10-5 margin in the 184-pound national title match, televised nationally on ESPN in St. Louis, MO.

Throughout most of the 2003-04 season, Jones and Heizer were the class of the 184-pound division. Jones, the nation’s No. 1-ranked grappler, came into tonight’s match with an unblemished 25-0 mark. Heizer entered the 184-pound summit with a near perfect 30-1 mark. The lone blemish for the Arlington, TX, native came in the finals of the Midlands Championships on Dec. 30, when he fell to Jones via a 2-1 double-overtime decision.

In a match that featured the strength of Heizer versus the quickness of Jones, the quickness of the Mountaineer junior won out. Jones opened the match with a quick takedown, but was unable to hold down Heizer, who quickly escaped to narrow the margin to 2-1. While the two battled throughout the rest of the period, Jones stuck
a final blow as time expired, taking down Heizer with only one second remaining to grab a 4-1 lead.

That late takedown shifted momentum in favor of Jones, as he took down Heizer at the start of period No. 2 to up his lead to 6-2. As he did throughout the match, Heizer quickly escaped to cut into the deficit, but Jones again took Heizer to the mat, pushing the lead to 8-2. Following another Heizer escape, Jones got one last takedown with 33 seconds remaining and carried a 10-3 lead into the final period.

The only point scored in the final period was an escape by Heizer and NIU’s senior was unable to get close enough to Jones to mount a late comeback.

“It was a great tournament and a great season for Ben,” head coach Dave Grant said. “We are all extremely proud of what he has done at NIU and for how far he has come as a wrestler. Jones is obviously a great wrestler. He’s got a lot of talent a great quickness. But we are so proud of Ben and the strides he made throughout his career.”

Despite the loss, Heizer rewrote the Northern Illinois record books in his dash to tonight’s national-title bout. In becoming just the second Texas native to ever reach the NCAA national title match, Heizer finished the season with a tremendous 30-2 overall record.

“I can’t help but think of how far Ben has come,” Grant said. “ From the day he started at Northern Illinois to finishing his career in the national-title match is a tribute to his strength training and most of all, his work ethic.”

Prior to Heizer, only two Northern Illinois wrestlers had ever reached the finals at the Division I level, with only one, Roy Conrad, coming away victorious. Conrad won the 177-pound national title in 1960, while Johnny Johnson finished second in the 190-pound weight class during the 1973 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Huskies have had success at the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels. Conrad (177 pounds) and Ray Guzak (167 pounds) won national titles in 1961 at the NAIA level, as did Dale Tessler (123 pounds) in 1958. Neal McDonald won an NCAA Division II crown as a heavyweight in 1965.

Including Heizer’s All-America honor, NIU has won 10 All-America awards at the Division I level. Six of those 10 have come during the Dave Grant era (1996-current), including a sixth-place finish by Heizer last season. Scott Owen (157 pounds) earned a pair of fifth-place showing in 2002 and 2003, while Jeremy Goeden (190 pounds) finished eighth in 1997 and seventh in 1998.

By earning All-America honors this evening, Heizer is just the third NIU wrestler to win back-to-back All-America honors in school history and marks the third straight season NIU has had an All-American at the NCAA Championships.

Although just the Dec. 30 match up at the Midlands counted, Heizer and Jones met for a third time during the 2003-04 season, with Jones claiming a 10-6 win over Heizer at the NWCA All-Star Duals in Cedar Falls, IA. That match was an exhibition featuring the nation’s top collegiate wrestlers.