Romero's NCAA Bid Falls Short

TULSA, Okla. — Utah Valley All-American Demetrius Romero bid for a second All-American honor came up short on Friday night at the BOK Center as Romero fell in sudden victory to No. 5 seeded Dustin Plott of Oklahoma State.

"Demetrius put it all out there. It was a tough loss for him with a podium finish and All-American status on the line. We are proud of D and all that he has accomplished in his time here at Utah Valley," said UVU head coach Greg Williams.

In the opening period, Romero jumped out to an early lead with a takedown 32 seconds into the period. After holding the 2-0 lead, Plott came back and scored on an escape to cut the lead to 2-1 after one.

In the second, the OSU All-American used a reversal 11 seconds in to take a 3-2 lead before losing the lead after an escape made the score 3-3. Each grappler picked stalling warnings in the match, but Romero took advantage of a penalty point to take a 4-3 advantage. The match was tied up in the final minute after a takedown by the OSU veteran to take a 5-4 lead into the final period.

It was an action-packed third period with multiple leg attacks between both wrestlers. Romero used an escape five seconds into the third period to tie the match at 5-5. The match remained and went overtime. In the sudden victory, Plott scored on a takedown five seconds into the match to advance to the next round.

As he concludes his UVU career, the two-time Big 12 Champion and 2021 All-American finishes in second place with 97 career victories at UVU.