(ANGOLA, Ind.) – The Waynesburg University wrestling team went to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships with a chance to rebound from a rough showing at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships.
The Yellow Jackets didn’t disappoint, as a pair of Waynesburg natives won their respective weight classes and stamped their tickets to go on to the Division III National Championships, which will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 6 and 7.
Sophomore Nick Garber and first-year standout Corbin Semple took the crowns at 141 and 197 pounds, respectively. They are the first two Yellow Jacket wrestlers to go to nationals since 2001 when another Greene County native, Shawn Whyte, won the second of his two All-American honors.
Garber, who bumped up to 141 for the first time since competing at the weight class as a freshman, was seeded fifth at the start of the day and pinned his first opponent in 1:30 to advanced to the semifinals.
After a 7-1 win in the semis, he battled seventh-seeded Jeremiah Edwards of Rose-Hulman for seven grueling minutes. In the end, Garber found himself the victor with a 9-7 decision win.
The 141-pound champion's move from his usual spot at 133 pounds was made, in part, due to the absence of usual starters Pat McCabe (141) and Jesse Byerly (149), who both had to miss the trip because of injuries.
At 197, Semple, who received the top seed for the day, made it all look almost too easy as he pinned his quarterfinal opponent and added a 5-1 victory in the semis to set up a showdown in the finals with second-seeded Martin Porter of powerhouse Delaware Valley, who had also cruised to the championship bout.
Semple’s victory was much less dramatic than Garber’s as he controlled the bout from start to finish and earned a 12-2 major decision win over Porter to take the top spot on the podium.
Waynesburg's two individual champions were the second most earned by a team at the regional tournament behind only Delaware Valley, who racked up an amazing five champions.
Waynesburg 125-pounder Rico Borz also had a good day in a stacked 125-pound class, but couldn’t quite get past rival Zach Cecchetti of W&J as he fell to him twice, including a heart-breaking 5-4 decision in the third-place bout, to finish fourth.
Junior Josh Mollica earned a sixth-place finish at 133 pounds, thanks in part to an upset 1-0 win over Washington & Jefferson's Brandon Sansom, who was seeded fifth in the weight class.
Freshman 157-pounder Jared Roberts picked up two wins by fall, including one over W&J's Brandon Roshon, on his way to finishing seventh. Freshman Alex Evanoff finished eighth at 165. Junior Abdul Yusuff also placed eighth at 149, as did freshman Charles Thomas at 184.
Delaware Valley took the team title with ease, scoring 183 points, which put them comfortably ahead of Trine and Olivet College, which tied for second with 128.5 points. Waynesburg finished sixth at the 11-team event with 83.5 points.
For a complete look at the individual brackets, team standings and more, click here.