Hosted by Lycoming, the first ever Regional Two will feature #15 SUNY-Oneonta, #18 Stevens Tech, & #20 R.I.T. Among these three ranked programs, many other teams, among 19 in total, will look to try and send their wrestlers to the NCAA Division III national tournament. Again a reminder, only the top 3 per weight class qualify.
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| 125 |
Lycoming being the host, it is only fitting that they'd crown a champion in the first ever Regional Two tournament. Looks like they don't plan on wasting much time either. Kaden Majcher is a likely candidate to win the title this weekend. 24-4 on the season, he was one match from qualification last year. Owns an 18-6 major decision over Jack Thode, who I believe along with Liam Bullock & Cade Sands will fight for qualification in their own rights. Bullock was 6th in the Mideast Regional last year.
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| 133 |
Very confident that our final here will be between Isaias Torres and Danny Haws. Torres a two time Mideast Regional finalist, who won the Regional last season, also took 7th in the D3 nation. He already owns a 7-2 decision this season over Haws, who is a two-time NCAA DIII qualifier in his own right with back to back Regional finishes of 3rd. For what it is worth, Haws is one of the few left in D3 wrestling who owns a victory over national champion Chase Randall.
The battle for bronze I believe will be between Culley Bellino & Danny Poggi. Bellino was 6th in the Regional last season, whereas Poggi has finishes of 4th & 8th thus far.
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| 141 |
Here at 141 lbs, I believe our first ever Regional Two final will between talents Luke Hoerle & Gabe Goss. Hoerle a two-time NCAA D3 R12'er was a Southeast Regional champion last year. Goss, 16-0 so far on the year, was a runner-up at the Mideast Regional last year.
So the question is, who takes the bronze? I have a lot of faith in freshman Jackson Maby, who has looked exceptionally tough this season with a 24-2 record. He gave Goss a good 3-1 match earlier this year. No doubt, Oneonta is happy to have him, but I wonder if being from Susquehanna, if the River Hawks might have picked him up...had they still had wrestling.
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| 149 |
A weight class featuring five very tough, very good wrestlers, and only three of them will be going to the NCAA Division III championships. 23-0 on the season, Angelo Centrone is a favorite among the talent to win a Regional Two title. There to challenge him will be Avery Leonard, 30-1, with that one loss being an 8-5 s.v. to Centrone. Mike Glynn, 8th in the D3 nation last season, is currently 19-1. Regionally speaking, looking to become a four time Regional place-winner with finishes thus far of 5th-8th-2nd.
With three ranked wrestlers, especially three ranked within the top 10, it's hard to believe that we might see someone other than the three of them headed to Providence. However, I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility. Xavier Pena, 21-6 on the year, is a three-time NCAA D3 qualifier, with Regional finishes of 2nd-1st-4th-3rd thus far. Louis Pierre-Wenchard, 18-4 on the season, is a two-time NCAA D3 qualifier with finishes of 1st & 2nd.
Again, I repeat, five really tough wrestlers, and only three of these guys are heading to nationals.
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| 157 |
A two-time Southeast Regional champion, with NCAA D3 All American finishes of 8th & 6th, our likely champion here is Ryan Smith. Jaryn Hartranft, a Southeast Regional runner-up last year, a likely candidate to make the finals. As to 3rd? My guess is Tyler Rossini, 26-7 on the year, 7th in the Mideast Regional last year.
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| 165 |
Despite going 0-2 at last year's Southeast Regional, I believe that Chris Stathopoulos gives the Ducks yet another strong hope in crowing a Regional Two champion this weekend. He already owns a 12-4 major decision over Konrad Parker, a likely finalist in his own right. Parker 25-3 on the season, was 4th in the Mideast Regional last year. As to who takes 3rd? Some names like Carter Davis & Jack Lamsen come to mind, but no one sticks out in particularly to me as a super strong, above the rest candidate.
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| 174 |
4th-8th-1st in the Mideast Regional & 26-5 on the year, Jackson Gray is our likely champion here at 174 lbs. He owns a 5-2 victory over Harrison Hinojosa, another tough ranked wrestler. As to silver & bronze? I say that will be between Hinojosa & Bloomsburg transfer Nolan Ziegler who is currently 25-3 on the season. Hinojosa defeated Ziegler earlier this season 4-1 s.v. Should be an excellent semi-final match.
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| 184 |
184 lbs, is where things get interesting in Regional Two. It's a safe bet to bet on 21-0, Ryan Jack as one of our three qualifiers. 3rd & 2nd thus far in the Mideast Regional & 7th in the D3 nation, I'd say he comes out of here wearing gold. Silver & bronze? Seeding will of course have a lot to say about this, but I feel we have a good number of quality candidates. Xavier Pommells is a tough kid, with 21 wins. Joel Martsinovsky, was a Southeast Regional runner-up last season. Eli Crum, 20-8 on the season, owns a 15-0 tech over Martsinovsky & a 9-3 decision over 2023 NCAA DIII qualifier Isaac Cory.
To think, Sean Malenfant, 5th in the D3 nation last year is currently injured. Imagine how much tougher this bracket would be if he were healthy & competing.
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| 197 |
Cameron Butka is living, breathing proof of just how insanely tough these Regional tournaments can be. Before winning the Southeast Regional last season & ultimately finishing 4th in the D3 nation, he was 4th twice in the Regional. As he looks to win another title this weekend, he currently carries a 32-3 record.
Likely finals opponent Blaise Wagner is currently 27-4 on the season, with a Southeast Regional finish of 6th last year.
As to our bronze medal? I wrote about Carson LiCastri possibly being an NCAA DI qualifier someday when he was still competing for Long Island University. So of course I believe in his ability to be top three in this bracket. 28-4 on the season, he gave Butka a tough 8-5 match.
Also look for great fight out of Anthony Cascen, 20-3 on the year, he's had two tough matches with LiCastri so far, coming up short 8-4 & 4-2.
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| HWT |
8th in the D3 nation back in 2023, Josh Harkless sat out last year & this year has returned better than ever. 23-0 on the year, our number one candidate to win the first ever Regional Two title in the HWT division. Going to give the nod to Caleb Burkhart as a likely finalist. 32-5 on the season, he was a NCAA DIII qualifier last year, finishing 3rd in the Regional.
As to our bronze medalist? Believe it'll be a good match between Nick Franco & Jackson Burns.
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