Saint John’s University sophomore Minga Batsukh (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia/St. Benedict’s Prep, N.J.) defeated Wartburg’s (Iowa) Zach McKray 5-2 to become the fourth wrestling national champion in the school’s history at the 2009 NCAA Division III championships Saturday, March 7, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Batsukh becomes the first national champion since current head coach Brandon Novak won the 197-pound title in 2001.
Batsukh defeated Nick Garber of Waynesburg (Pa.) and James Beshada of U.S. Merchant Marine (N.Y.) by scores of 14-9 and 9-3, respectively, to advance to the semifinals on Friday, March 6. Batsukh upset top-seeded Austin Bautista of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 in the 141-pound semifinals to advance to the championship match.
SJU finished 15th overall as a team out of 62 squads.
