CLEVELAND, Ohio – Four members of the Trine University men's wrestling team will advance to the second day of the NCAA Division III Central Regional after securing at least top-eight finishes at the event.
Junior Joseph Langeman became the first member of the team to secure his spot for day two of the event. Competing at 133 pounds Langeman opened the day with pin over a familiar opponent from Alma College. In the quarterfinals he was pinned in turn, moving to the consolation bracket with the loss. From there he recorded a technical fall (16-0, 2:59) in his first match of that consolation rounds. He will return to the mats tomorrow for the consolation quarterfinals.
At 141 pounds, junior Jett Boots was the lone member of the Thunder to finish the first day of the event undefeated. He opened the day in a preliminary round where he picked up a technical fall victory (16-1, 2:54). He followed up the early win with a pin (2:23) in the opening round of the championship bracket and then another technical fall (17-1, 6:24) in the quarterfinals. He will return tomorrow for a semifinal match.
Junior Isaac Hawkins, became the third member of the team to earn a spot for day two of the event. Competing at 149 pounds he began his day with a quick pin (0:21) in a preliminary match to earn a spot in the championship bracket where he suffered his lone loss of the day. Moving to the consolation side of the bracket he secured a pair of victories by decision to move to the quarterfinals where he will return tomorrow.
The final member of the team to move on to day two was junior Mason Custer in the 197-pound bracket. After a victory by 6-4 decision in a preliminary round match, Custer won the opening round of the championship bracket with a pin (0:47). A loss in the quarterfinals sent him to the consolation bracket where he won with a 14-5 major decision. He will return for the consolation quarterfinals tomorrow.
The four grapplers will continue their quest for a spot at the 2023 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship tomorrow, Sunday, February 25. The top-three finishers in each bracket earn a spot at the national event which is set to be hosted by Ferrum College in Roanoke, Va.