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PUEBLO, Colo. – Redshirt senior Ed Ebewo and redshirt sophomore Braden Turner both earned All-America honors for East Stroudsburg University after the first day of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on Friday at Colorado State-Pueblo.

All four of ESU's entrants – Ebewo (197), Turner (157), redshirt senior Thad Frick (165) and redshirt sophomore Brendan McKeown (174) – won at least one match on Friday. Ebewo advanced to the quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket, and the other three all won their first consolation bout to move within one match of the All-America round.

Ebewo, ranked No. 7 at 197 pounds, won a 3-2 decision with a takedown 35 seconds into the first sudden victory period in his consolation bout with Zach Anderson (Newberry) to punch his All-America ticket in the Warriors' final bout on Friday night.

Ebewo opened the day with a 15-2 major decision of Steven Cooksley (Newman) before losing a 5-4 decision to No. 4-ranked Luke McPeek (Adams State) in the quarters. McPeek, a returning All-American, won a 14-9 decision over Ebewo in last year's second round of consolations.

Turner posted a pair of 5-2 decisions in the wrestlebacks to earn All-America status in his first season at ESU after transferring from Rutgers.

Turner used two near-fall points 30 seconds into the third period to turn his bout with No. 8 Jon Gappmaier (Colorado Mesa) in the second round of consolations. The match was tied, 2-2, entering the third period with Turner starting on top, and he got the turn and rode out Gappmaier for the riding time point and 5-2 victory.

He also decisioned Derek Koehn (Fort Hays State), 5-2, in his first consolation bout after suffering a first-period pin (1:23) to No. 4 Cory Dauphin (Central Oklahoma), the returning sixth-place finisher, in his first match of the tournament.

Frick and McKeown both finished their seasons after posting victories in the first round of consolations.

Frick ends his career with a 72-43 record, and a 25-11 mark this season. His day started with a 9-5 setback to No. 7 Blake Sorensen (Upper Iowa) before coming back with an 8-3 decision over Justin Samora (Adams State). He fell to Chester Grandard (Colorado Mesa), 10-5, in the second round of consolations.

McKeown, who went 12-8 in an injury-shortened season, fell to Mark Fiala (Nebraska-Kearney), 6-3, in his first match of the day. He faced two ranked wrestlers in the consolations, getting a third-period takedown in a 3-1 decision over No. 6 Wade Gobin (Upper Iowa) before running into No. 3 Shamus O'Grady (St. Cloud State), the defending No. 4 finisher, in an 11-2 loss.

MATCH NOTES
* Ebewo was the Super Region 1 champion at 197, Turner (157) and McKeown (174) were the regional runner-ups and Frick (165) won four consolation bouts to place third at the Super Region 1 Tournament two weeks ago to earn NCAA trips.
* Turner and McKeown both advanced to the regional final as the No. 6 seeds in their brackets. Frick was seeded No. 8 and wrestled up to third.
* Ebewo and Turner join Shane Mallory, the national runner-up at 184 in 2010, as ESU's second and third All-Americans in the program's third season in Division II.
* ESU has sent seven wrestlers to the DII Championships in the last three years. Ebewo is the only individual to qualify twice, going 1-2 last year.


157 – Braden Turner (25-14) – All-America
1st Round – #4 Cory Dauphin (Central Oklahoma) pinned Turner, 1:23
Cons. 1st Round – Turner dec. Derek Koehn (Fort Hays State), 5-2
Cons. 2nd Round – Turner dec. #8 Jon Gappmaier (Colorado Mesa), 5-2
Cons. Quarters – Turner vs. Zach Lundgren (Pitt-Johnstown)

165 – Thad Frick (25-11)
1st Round – #7 Blake Sorensen (Upper Iowa) dec. Thad Frick, 9-5
Cons. 1st Round – Frick dec. Justin Samora (Adams State), 8-3
Cons. 2nd Round – Chester Grandard (Colorado Mesa) dec. Frick, 10-5

174 – Brendan McKeown (12-8)
1st Round – Mark Fiala (Nebraska-Kearney) dec. McKeown, 6-3
Cons. 1st Round – McKeown dec. #6 Wade Gobin (Upper Iowa), 3-1
Cons. 2nd Round – #3 Shamus O'Grady (Saint Cloud State) major dec. McKeown, 11-2

197 – #7 Ed Ebewo (21-5) – All-America
1st Round – Ebewo maj. dec. Steven Cooksley (Newman), 15-2
Quarters – #4 Luke McPeek (Adams State) dec. Ebewo, 5-4
Cons. 2nd Round – Ebewo dec. Zach Anderson (Newberry), 3-2:sv
Cons. Quarters – Ebewo vs. #3 Celic Bell (Grand Canyon)