2011-12 Stories of the Year (No. 4): Sanders backflip appears on ESPN

2011-12 Stories of the Year (No. 4): Sanders backflip appears on ESPN

MEQUON, Wis. – The list could have gone on and on, and it is obviously longer than we thought it would be when we first started making it. The 2011-12 athletic year at Concordia University Wisconsin had many successful and inspiring stories, but we decided to limit it to five.

The list was compiled by the CUW Sports Information Department, and like all lists it is subject to debate. The list of stories will be revealed in stages. Stories 4-1 will be revealed individually over the next few days, with the top story of 2011-12 being released next Tuesday.

Fans will then have an opportunity to vote on their top stories of 2011-12 by e-mailing their list to steven.schauer@cuw.edu by Friday, June 15.

No. 4
Sanders backflip appears on ESPN

The bout was progressing in typical fashion for freshman Greg Sanders this past December, until he did the unthinkable. The 141-pounder was competing against Steve Gutschenritter from Buena Vista University and was piling on points as he usually did.

Midway through the match, Gutschenritter appeared to be in position to lock Sanders hands and earn points, but in a matter three seconds Sanders next move would go viral on YouTube and put CUW wrestling on the national stage.

He was able to grab both of Gutschenritter's hands and set himself up for a successful backflip that put him in position he wasn't in just seconds prior. The move earned him three points, but more importantly the video of his amazing athletic move appeared on ESPN's SportsNation not that long after.

Sanders would go on to win the bout by major decision, 12-2.

The video would be seen over 535,000 times.

2011-12 Stories of the Year
HM: Pawlak ends careers at NCAA Championships
No. 5: CUW men best in the NAC
 
Video below is the original video that has over 440,000 views. Click on the bubble in the video to watch the backflip in normal and slow speeds.