CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.-- Trine's Mack Green and Brandon Preston locked up return trips to the NCAA Division III National Championships with their performances in the Midwest Regional Championship, hosted Saturday by Wabash College.
Green (Buchanan, Mich./Buchanan) won the Midwest Regional heavyweight title with a perfect 3-0 record on the day. The performance locks up Green's second-consecutive trip to the National Championships. Last season, Green earned All-America honors by placing fifth in the nation. Preston (Logansport, Ind./Logansport) earned his third-consecutive trip to the national meet with a third-place finish. This will be Preston's second-consecutive championship qualification at 133-lbs. The senior finished 3-1 on the day.
Green needed two overtimes to earn a sudden-victory win over UW-La Crosse wrestler Cody Endress in his first match of the day. A 7-3 win by decision over the University of Chicago's Mario Palmisano advanced Green to the Regional Championship match for the first time in his career. Green closed out the championship with a 2-0 decision over UW-Whitewater's Anthony Edgren, the no. 7-ranked heavyweight in the nation.
Preston narrowly escaped his first match with a 5-4 win by decision, before a 4-3 loss to David Broukal of Wabash dropped the senior into the consolation bracket. Preston responded in dominating fashion with a 13-5 major decision over Alma's Zac Case to keep his season alive. Needing a win to advance to the national meet, Preston came through with a 7-3 decision over Martino Balsiger to earn the third-place finish.
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The NCAA Division III National Championships will be held Mar. 13-14 in Hershey, Pa. Green entered the regional as the no. 2 ranked heavyweight in the nation. Preston was ranked no. 8 in the nation entering this weekend.
