Ian Miller suffers heartbreaking semifinal loss at NCAA championships

NEW YORK — The sell out crowd at Madison Square Garden was on its collective feet, and Ian Miller was in his element.In an enticing matchup that saw both competitors earlier in the day promise fireworks, the 157-pound semifinal between Illinois' Isaiah Martinez and Kent State's Miller (2011 Oak Harbor) delivered.But despite several wild scrambles as time expired that saw Miller on the verge of a historic upset, it was the defending national champion Martinez (31-1) countering him with a takedown 18 seconds into sudden victory for a 7-5 win.Miller, the No. 4 seed who earlier in the day guaranteed himself All-American status for a third straight season, will wrestle in today's consolation semifinals beginning at 11 a.m. against No. 5 seed Dylan Palacio (Cornell). A two-time fourth-place finisher, Miller can finish as high as third and as low as sixth.A year ago, Miller trailed Martinez by just a 3-2 margin late in the third period of a regular season match when he tried to throw him. Martinez countered and stuck him for the pin with just 24 seconds left in the match.Friday night's semifinal saw Martinez in great danger, something the Illini wrestler with just one career loss saw coming."I don't want to go to overtime, I wanted to control the match," Martinez said. "But Ian is a special athlete, and he's a tough, tough guy. It was a good match."Miller (23-2) wrestled shortly after noon Friday, and used an aggressive two periods to open up a solid lead in a 6-3 win over Michigan's Brian Murphy in a 157-pound quarterfinal match.Last season, Miller earned national headlines when he was not credited with a point in regulation of his quarterfinal match that he eventually lost in overtime. He eventually battled back through consolations to finish in fourth place.But Friday's win secured his third All-American finish — just the second wrestler in Kent State history to accomplish the feat."Oh yeah, big relief," Miller said. "I mean, not having to battle back, it's real nice knowing I have the All-American spot on the podium locked up. I can just go out and wrestle. It's a lot of weight off my shoulders."Against Murphy, Miller opened strong for his third straight match at the tournament. He scored on a single-leg takedown 1:06 into the match for a 2-0 lead, then rode out his No. 12 seed opponent for the rest of the period to already put the bonus point for riding time in play.An escape nearly a minute into the second for Murphy cut the deficit to 2-1, but Miller did a duck-under move and turned it into another two points by taking Murphy down for a 4-1 lead at the 1:25 mark.But Murphy then got his lone offense in, and it was nearly a scary moment for the former Oak Harbor state champion. Murphy locked in on Miller and a scramble ensued.Murphy initially scored a takedown, but then nearly caught Miller for back points in a near fall situation. Miller quickly appeared to scramble through it, but the Michigan coaching staff still challenged the call with hopes of tying the match at 5-5.During the review, Miller couldn't help but have thoughts of the now famous quarterfinal last year against Cornell's Brian Realbuto when he was shorted a point in a scoring error of an eventual loss."I was having weird flashbacks, but it gave me time to catch my breath and not get caught up in the crowd or anything," Miller said. "I just knew even if he got the two back points, it'd be tied up and I still had riding time and would go down."The original call was upheld, leaving Miller ahead 5-3. For virtually the entire third period, he went defensive from the bottom position, preventing Murphy from turning him or gaining any offense — all while avoiding a stalling penalty.The end result was a 6-3 win once the bonus point was tacked on — much to the anger of Murphy, who gestured at Miller for stalling for much of the period."He was really trying to turn me, but I stayed tough," Miller said.Kent State's Ian Miller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, reacts after losing in overtime against defending national champion Isaiah Martinez during a 157-pound NCAA semifinal match Friday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.Kent State's Ian Miller attempts to complete a takedown of defending national champion Isaiah Martinez, of Illinois, during Friday's NCAA semifinal match at 157 pounds at Madison Square Garden in New York.Kent State's Ian Miller leaves the mat following his 6-3 NCAA championship quarterfinal win over Michigan's Brian Murphy Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York.Kent State's Ian Miller waits for his 157-pound NCAA championship quarterfinal match against Michigan's Brian Murphy to begin Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Miller won the match, 6-3.Kent State's Ian MIller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, attempts a single-leg takedown of Michigan's Brian Murphy during Friday's NCAA quarterfinal match at 157 pounds at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Kent State's Ian Miller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, controls Michigan's Brian Murphy during a 157-pound NCAA championship quarterfinal match Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Kent State's Ian Miller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, controls from the top position against Michigan's Brian Murphy during a 157-pound NCAA championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Kent State's Ian Miller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, attempts to turn Michigan's Brian Murphy during a 157-pound NCAA championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Kent State's Ian Miller, a 2011 Oak Harbor graduate, celebrates his win against Michigan's Brian Murphy during a 157-pound NCAA championship quarterfinal Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York City.