The No. 12 ranked 157-pounder found himself up against No. 3 Jesse Dong of Virginia Tech. At stake: All-America status at the 2010 NCAA Championships, something that has eluded Brown his entire collegiate career.

A year after losing by one in the round to guarantee a top-eight finish, it was not good enough for Brown to be close again — not after putting in the work he has over the years.

“We work so hard as a team and individually over the summer and throughout the season, and the biggest thing going through my head is I did not want to do all that work for nothing,” he said. “I didn’t just want to get close.”

REBOUND

Brown remembers when things changed for him on the wrestling mat.

It was more than two years ago. He had just moved into the starting lineup and lost in his first match against Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Seth Garvin 10-8.

After the match, Brown was given a clear message: make wrestling his lifestyle or give up the act.

“After the match, Mark DiSalvo and Coach (Tom) Borrelli brought me in back and just hounded me,” he said. “They told me to quit, and told me there are a million other things I could do that are a lot more fun and enjoyable than wrestling. And if I didn’t want to be there, then I should stop wasting their time and money.

“It was more memorable than enjoyable, but it was an important moment. That weekend, everything turned around for me in my career.”

Brown would win three consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships — two at 157 pounds, another at 149. But All-America status eluded him entering the 2010 NCAA Championships.

THE DEFINING MOMENT

Brown won his opening match 12-1 against Turtogtokh Luvsandorj of Citadel. But he bowed out of the championship bracket after losing to American’s No. 5 Steve Fittery, 8-6.

Brown said the tournament is difficult in itself, but it is worse when the dream of a national championship is gone.

“There is more than just the aspect of competition,” he said. “You have to gain weight, lose weight, maintain weight day after day, so that is one of the struggles. For a lot of people, they don’t want to cut that weight anymore. It is their last tournament and you are ready to finish.

“As soon as you lose that on the championship side, you lose all motivation and pride. You want to be national champion and, once you lose, you can’t be that anymore.”

In the consolation bracket, Brown had to win three consecutive matches to gain All-America status. He was one win away after beating Maryland’s Kyle John 10-7 and Indiana’s Kurt Kinser 3-1.

The winner between Brown and Dong would become an All-American. The loser would just be what Brown was the previous year — close, with nothing to show for it.

“The first couple (of matches) are the hardest because you lose and you’re done, and there is nothing to gain,” he said. “There isn’t anything to gain in the All-American round, either, but it gives you life. You get to the point where you absolutely have nothing to lose.”

THE MATCH

CMU knew Dong well, having wrestled against Virginia Tech twice as a team in the past two years.

So when he earned a takedown in the first period and rode Dong out for the rest of the 1:02 in the period, Brown chose neutral to start the second period.

But 20 seconds in, Brown got contorted and injured his left shoulder. Brown was in pain and holding the shoulder as injury time was called. Brown did not let himself focus on the shoulder and continued the match, still leading 2-0 after the second period ended.

Dong chose down to start the third and got the escape, but Brown still had his riding time point and led 2-1.

With 30 seconds remaining in the match, a scramble occurred where it looked like either wrestler could get the takedown. Brown came on top to get the takedown.

“At that point, I was able to relax,” Brown said. “I felt like I was secure and it is when I knew I was going to win because there was no way in hell I was going to give up two takedowns.”

He beat Dong, 5-2, earning All-America honors for the first time in his career.

AN EXAMPLE

Coach Tom Borrelli said Brown won by going out and getting the first-period takedown and putting the pressure on Dong to have to win on his feet.

“We knew that he (Dong) is real good on top and we didn’t want to take bottom,” Borrelli said. “We took him down at least twice and that was the match. We had to beat him on his feet.”

Brown ended the tournament in eighth place, losing his final two matches. But less than three years after being told to quit the team, Brown earned elite status.

It was not the national championship Brown dreamed of, but it is something to show off for all his work.

“So when I look back at the last couple of years, I feel I have nothing to regret,” he said. “I worked my butt off, I trained as hard as I could. It wasn’t as much as I wanted — I wanted to be a national champion — but I am an All-American and that is something.”