Martinez wrestles for second straight NCAA title tonight in New York City

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 Saturday, March 19, 2016 - 10:30am By Ed Martin, Editor
Isaiah, during a visit to Lemoore, after he won his first NCAA title.
Isaiah, during a visit to Lemoore, after he won his first NCAA title.

With his former high school coach in attendance, former Lemoore High School wrestling champ Isaiah Martinez (31-1) is within one match of winning his second straight NCAA championship in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The finals will begin at 5 p.m. tonight (Saturday) and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Marcio Botelho, who coached Martinez to three California state wrestling championships, has been in New York since Thursday and has watched his former champ cruise to the finals, where he will face the nation’s No. 2 wrestler, freshman Jason Nolf (33-1), the only guy to beat him in two years of collegiate wrestling.

Nolf beat Martinez during a Big Ten Conference dual meet in January. It ended Martinez’s 54-match winning streak. However, at the Big Ten Conference finals, Martinez won the conference championship via a double overtime win over Nolf, the Penn State wrestler’s first collegiate loss.

To earn a spot in the finals, Martinez beat Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta 6-3 in the quarterfinals and earned a 7-5 win over Kent State’s Ian Miller in the semifinals.

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