Featuring teams from the former Mideast, Northeast & Southeast Regionals, Regional three is made up of 18 East coast programs including #6 Alvernia & #12 NYU. This is a very tough Regional where really good wrestlers will have to wrestle their hearts out to earn a top 3 finish.
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| 125 |
Four ranked wrestlers and only three of these guys are going to the 2025 NCAA Division III national tournament. You want the truth? If rankings went to top 25 (as I feel they should be) we'd actually be looking at six ranked wrestlers. I'll stand by that belief. This is a tough bracket.
When Harrison Gordon was still at Johnson & Wales, I said he was one of the best backups & I said that once Joziah Fry graduated he'd be proving it. Well, he didn't wait for the departure of Fry, he transferred to N.Y.U. and he is proving it. 25-1 on the season, his only loss on the season thus far is to Fry.
Among the challengers, will be Keito Shaw who was 6th DNP 5 in the Southeast Regional. Has 19 wins on the season including a hard fought 5-2 s.v. over Malik Asfour. Asfour himself is 21-5 on the year, with an 11-0 victory over Matt Griffin. Griffin was 3rd in the Mideast Regional a year ago, and one match shy of All American honors.
Brayden Schuyler will also be in the mix. He went 0-2 at last year's Mideast Regional, but has looked rather sharp this year, including a 22-14 victory over Shaw.
Speaking earlier with another huge D3 fan, he said that he couldn't see any unranked wrestlers challenging for All American honors this season. I highly beg to differ. Joey Lamparelli was 8th in the D3 nation back in 2023. In the Mideast Regional he had finishes of 2nd-2nd-4th. He may have some not so hot losses in his 16-5 record, but the guy is a Victor for a reason.
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| 133 |
Not sure who will be our bronze medalist here at 133 lbs, but I will say that I feel our final will be between Garrett Totten & Jacob Blair. Totten is a transfer from Navy with a 13-0 record. Blair, although unranked, is a two-time Southeast Regional runner-up, who finished 5th in the D3 nation last year.
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| 141 |
22-6 on the year, Sam Kotch is the sole wrestler in the Regional Three with a a ranking at the moment. 7th in the Mideast Regional last year, this should grant him a the *1 seed, but he'll have challenge. Freshman Tyler Kadish, 22-4 on the year, gave Kotch a very good match 7-6 match earlier this year. Look for Sean O'Toole to be among the top of the challengers, looking to bring home that 3rd place medal & punch a ticket to Providence.
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| 149 |
These three tough talents are who I believe will be our three qualifiers from Regional Three. Mike Conklin enters his final Regional having thus far placed 2nd 5th & 1st within the Mideast Regional. In the years he qualified, he picked up All American honors of 8th & 7th. Ethan Composto 24-2 on the season, was 7th in the Southeast Regional. Thomas Monn, a former Mideast Regional champion in 2023, & 6th in the D3 nation, came up a hair short of qualification last year, when he finished 4th in the Regional. Despite being unranked, Monn owns two 11-1 major decisions over Composto.
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| 157 |
2nd-2nd-1st thus far in the Northeast Regional. 6th-6th-3rd in the NCAA D3 nation. 25-0 on the season. One of the three qualification spots at 157 lbs, is likely to go to Cooper Pontelandolfo. I would say it is a safe bet that another will be going to Jason Rezac. Rezac has thus far been 5th-2nd-3rd in the Southeast Regional, finishing one match shy of D3 All American honors in 2023. As to our third? I think it'll be a fight between Xavier Howard & Clay Gainer. Howard was a Mideast Regional champion last year, and 8th in the D3 nation. 24-4 on the season. Gainer with 28 wins on the season, wrestled most of the year at 157 last season, but moved up to 165 lbs at the last second, as he was behind Garrett Cornell. Speaking of backups, imagine how much tougher this bracket would be, if Chance Babb, a 2023 qualifier were a part of it.
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| 165 |
I feel bad for anyone else wrestling in this bracket, because 1st & 2nd places are already spoken for. We have three-time Southeast Regional champion Matt Lackman, who has thus far been 5th-2nd-3rd in the NCAA Division III nation. 18-0 on the year, he's 140-5 overall. With that said, he's still not a shoo-in to win the first ever Regional Three 165 lbs title. Why? Because this bracket also features last year's NCAA DIII champ, Nick Sacco, who is also a two-time Southeast Regional champion in his own right.
Gold and Silver off the table, who takes the bronze? My pick here is freshman Keegan DeMarest. Not only is he competing on his home mats in front of his home crowd, he is also 38-6 on the year. Two of those losses have been to Lackman by scores of 2-1 & 4-1. Another of those losses, a 2-0 decision to Sacco.
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| 174 |
113 career wins & a two-time NCAA D3 champ, a clear favorite here to win the title at 174 lbs will be Alvernia's Nathan Lackman. Look for a good semi-final between Hunter Mays & Josh Stahl to determine our other finalist, as whoever comes up short in this match should come back to take the bronze. Mays is a former DI wrestler that competed for both Lehigh and Rider. For the record, may I say he wasn't just a backup or a guy with a lot of losses either. He did quite well at the DI level, with some very notable wins, including some over DI qualifiers. A few examples would be Anthony White, Shane Cartega-Walsh, Lucas Revano, Avery Bassett & Stony Buell. Stahl is 27-1 on the season, his only loss a 4-1 decision to Mays.
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| 184 |
Another tough bracket, our favorite here to make the finals is Trent Furman. 24-3 on the year, he was a Northeast Regional runner-up last year & he's twice been one match shy of earning a D3 All American honor. He owns an 11-2 major decision over his likely finals opponent Ganon Smith, how is 29-2 on the season. Twice 3rd at the Mideast Regional, he owns a 29-2 record & has 1-0, 5-2, & 4-0 decision over Furman.
Bronze? I believe it'll be a good match between Tyler Withers and Ryder Slayton. Withers is 24-2 on the year, and was one match shy of NCAA DIII qualification last year with a 4th place Regional finish. Slayton was an NCAA D3 qualifier last year, placing 3rd at the Southeast Regional. 32-6 on the year, he actually does own a 5-2 s.v. over Smith.
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| 197 |
Out final here looks to be between two-time NCAA DIII qualifier & Will Davis who was 6th in the Mideast Regional last season. Davis has a 25-2 record. As to our bronze medalist? My prediction is D.J. Henry of The College Of New Jersey. He has 20 wins this season.
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| HWT |
22-1 on the season, Reid Garrison has been on a roll as of late, collecting 12 falls thus far on the year. He was a Northeast Regional runner-up last season. Here to challenge him will be multiple time NCAA DIII qualifier Mauro Pellott. Look for Logan Flynn, 18-3 on the season & 5th at the Regional last season to fight for a top 3 spot.
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