HOUSTON — Former Middletown High School sports star Steve Franklin, now at San Francisco State University, finished sixth on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Houston.
Franklin went 2-1 on Friday, the first day of the competition, to guarantee himself no worse than an eighth-place finish, a medal, and All-American status. On Saturday, he won his first match, beating Anthony Lewis of Nebraska-Omaha on a 7-5 decision. Needing one more victory to advance to the third-place match, Franklin was pinned by Charlie Alexander of Western State in the second round. That loss put him into the fifth-place match, where he was pinned by Niall McGrath off Gannon in the second round.
“Speaking as his high school coach, I am incredibly proud to have coached not only an athletic All-American, but he was given the distinction as an Aca-demic All-American by San Francisco State as well,” Middletown High School wrestling coach Troy Brierly said.
“The wrestlers of Middletown and Lake County have someone to look up to in sports and studies. I know that I can speak for everyone in Middletown when I say that we are incredibly proud that our local boy is making such a splash on the national stage.”
