March 22, 2002

UC Davis junior Urijah Faber finished one match shy of becoming the Aggies' first-ever wrestling All-American, losing to fifth-seeded David Douglas of Arizona State on Friday afternoon in the fourth round of the 133-pound wrestleback bracket at the 2002 NCAA Division I Championships.

A victory over Douglas would've guaranteed Faber a top-eight placing in the tournament and an All-America showing. However, Douglas beat Faber for the second time this season; the first time coming in the third-place match at last month's Pacific-10 Conference Championships at Oregon State.

Faber advanced to the fourth round after recording a pin at 2:46 of the first round against Ohio University's Anthony Carrizales in the second round of the wrestleback bracket on Friday morning, and then beating 11th-seeded Chad Hay of Illinois, 2-0, in the next round.

Faber, who finished the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 record, was the final Aggie remaining in the event after 165-pounder Burt Pierson was eliminated on Friday morning by Pierre Pryor of North Carolina State, 8-5. Jeremiah Jarvis, wrestling at 157 pounds, was eliminated earlier after losing in the wrestleback bracket on Thursday night.

The trio, however, combined to give the Aggies their best all-time finish at the championships. UC Davis finished with 7.0 points tied for 41st place.

Prior to this season, UC Davis had only won one match in the championship bracket at the Division I nationals, but had each of its three representatives this season open the tournament with victories. Pierson had the most notable win, beating sixth-seeded Chris Vitale of Lehigh on Thursday in the first round. Faber beat Chris Matarrese of Slippery Rock in his opener, while Jarvis edged Doug Cieleski of Oklahoma, 7-4, in a pigtail match.

Faber finished his season with an overall record of 31-10, Pierson finished 28-6 and Jarvis completed his year, 22-14.

UC Davis finished its season with a 9-8 overall dual meet record and a 4-3 mark in the Pac-10. The Aggies also finished a program-best sixth at the conference championships in March.

NCAA Division I Championships
Albany, New York
March 22, 2002
(UC Davis results onl)y

TEAM STANDINGS - 1. Minnesota, 126.5.... T41st. UC Davis, 7.0.

Wrestleback bracket
133 pounds
Second round - Uirjah Faber (UCD) fall Anthony Carrizales (Ohio), 2:46
Third round - Urijah Faber (UCD) dec. Chad Hay (Illinois), 2-0
Fourth round - David Douglas (Arizona State) def. Urijah Faber (UCD), na.

165 pounds
Second round - Pierre Pryor (North Carolina St.) dec. Burt Pierson (UCD),8-5