ESU Preview  |  Brackets/Live Results/Video  |  Tournament Page with Schedule

ERIE – Redshirt sophomore Dylan Nace (141 pounds) and senior Joey Kratochvil (157) each won two bouts to advance to the semifinals of their respective weight classes, leading East Stroudsburg University on Day 1 of the Super Region I Championship at Mercyhurst on Friday.

Seniors Tyler Richardson (184) and Brandon Steele (197) also remain alive for the Warriors after advancing to consolation quarterfinals. The final day of the tournament will be split into two sessions. Championship semifinals, consolation quarterfinals and consolation semis will take place from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., while all remaining bouts are set to begin at 3 p.m.

The top four finishers in each weight class advance to the NCAA Division II Championships in Birmingham, Ala., on March 10-11.

Nace, who entered as the No. 2 seed at 141, earned both of his victories via fall. He needed only 1:31 to finish off Millersville's Kyle Loeb in the opening round, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with No. 7 John Marotto from Gannon.

Marotto upset Nace at last year's regional tournament on his way to a fourth-place finish which qualified him for the NCAA tournament. Nace, however, avenged that defeat in 3:10 this time around, using a quick takedown maneuver at the start of the second period to clinch his spot in the semis.

Nace is now 27-4 on the year with 16 bonus point victories. He has won eight-straight bouts overall, with five of his last six triumphs coming via fall. Nace will take on No. 3 Cobey Fehr from Notre Dame (Ohio), the 141 regional champion and a DII All-American last year, in the semifinal round. Both wrestlers are nationally-ranked, with Fehr listed at No. 6 and Nace at No. 8 in the latest NWCA poll.

Kratochvil, the No. 6 seed at 157, made it to the quarterfinals through a 7-4 decision over Millersville's Seth Decker. That set up a matchup with No. 3 Greg Brusco from Wheeling Jesuit, who had topped Kratochvil by a 7-4 margin when the two faced off at Koehler Fieldhouse on Feb. 3.

Brusco led 4-3 with under a minute remaining in the third period, with an additional riding time point already secured, when Kratochvil used a two-point reversal to take the lead. After Brusco earned an escape point to make it 5-5, Kratochvil completed the upset with a two-point takedown in the final five seconds of the period. Brusco's riding time point made it a 7-6 decision in favor of the ESU senior.

Next up for Kratochvil is a semifinal bout against No. 2 Eric Lewandowski from Gannon on Saturday. Lewandowski, currently No. 12 nationally at 157 pounds, edged Kratochvil by a 5-2 decision in their regular season meeting at Gannon on Jan. 27.

Richardson received a bye into the quarterfinal round, where he was dropped by No. 6 Michael Green (Mercyhurst) in a 9-2 decision. The Brick, N.J., native recovered with a 17-0 tech. fall over LIU Post's Dan McClure in the second round of the consolation bracket. That sets up a consolation quarterfinal bout against No. 7 Collin Schildt from Kutztown, an opponent Richardson topped by a 4-0 decision on Feb. 14.

Steele fell 11-3 to No. 3 Wes Phipps (Mercyhurst) in his opening bout. After advancing on a bye through the first consolation round, he made it to Day 2 after defeating No. 4 Jake Temple (Seton Hill) via a medical forfeit. Steele will take on Gannon's Ethan Budd in the quarters. Budd lost an 11-6 decision in a regular season meeting between the two in January.

Graduate student John Pellegrino and senior Connor Maliff each went 1-2 for ESU at 125 and 133, respectively. Pellegrino, competing as the No. 6 seed, moved on to the quarterfinals with an 11-5 decision over UPJ's Sam Holandez. He then fell 16-4 to No. 3 Austin Petril from Kutztown (currently No. 11 nationally), and he was edged in a 13-12 decision by Austin Camacci (Millersville) in the consolation bracket.

Each of Maliff's losses came to seeded opponents. No. 2 Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) bested him in the opening round by an 8-3 decision. After a convincing 15-4 major decision triumph over Jeff Sisk in his first consolation bout, Maliff was eliminated in a 5-2 decision by No. 8 Lucas Miller (Kutztown).

Redshirt sophomore Blake Cohen (149), redshirt senior Joe Welk (174) and freshman Daniel Makagon (285) also competed for the Warriors, going 0-2 in their respective weight classes.

 
125 Pounds
First Round - No. 6 John Pellegrino (ESU) def. Sam Holandez (UPJ) via decision, 11-5
Quarterfinals - No. 3 Austin Petril (Kutztown) def. No. 6 John Pellegrino (ESU) via maj. decision, 16-4
Consolation Round 2 - Austin Camacci (Millersville) def. No. 6 John Pellegrino via decision, 13-12

133 Pounds
First Round - No. 2 Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) def. Connor Maliff (ESU) via decision, 8-3
Consolation Round 1 - Connor Maliff (ESU) def. Jeff Sisk (Mercyhurst) via maj. decision, 15-4
Consolation Round 2 - No. 8 Lucas Miller (Kutztown) def. Connor Maliff (ESU) via decision, 5-2

141 Pounds
First Round - No. 2 Dylan Nace (ESU) def. Kyle Loeb (Millersville) via fall, 1:31
Quarterfinals - No. 2 Dylan Nace (ESU) def. No. 7 John Marotto (Gannon) via fall, 3:10
Semifinals (Saturday) - No. 2 Dylan Nace (ESU) vs. No. 3 Cobey Fehr (Notre Dame)

149 Pounds
First Round - No. 2 Logan Grass (Mercyhurst) def. Blake Cohen (ESU) via maj. decision, 11-0
Consolation Round 1 - Ryne Morrison (Kutztown) def. Blake Cohen (ESU) via tech. fall, 15-0 (5:00)

157 Pounds
First Round - No. 6 Joey Kratochvil (ESU) def. Seth Decker (Millersville) via decision, 7-4
Quarterfinals - No. 6 Joey Kratochvil (ESU) def. No. 3 Greg Brusco (Wheeling Jesuit) via decision, 7-6
Semifinals (Saturday) - No. 6 Joey Kratochvil (ESU) vs. No. 2 Eric Lewandowski (Gannon)

174 Pounds
First Round - No. 6 Reyse Wallbrown (Wheeling Jesuit) def. Joe Welk (ESU) via decision, 7-2
Consolation Round 1 - Joe Welk (ESU) receives a bye
Consolation Round 2 - No. 4 Joe Balboni (Kutztown) def. Joe Welk (ESU) via decision, 5-4

184 Pounds
First Round - No. 3 Tyler Richardson (ESU) receives a bye
Quarterfinals - No. 6 Michael Green (Mercyhurst) def. No. 3 Tyler Richardson (ESU) via decision, 9-2
Consolation Round 2 - No. 3 Tyler Richardson (ESU) def. Dan McClure (LIU Post) via tech fall, 17-0 (6:59)
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday) - No. 3 Tyler Richardson (ESU) vs. No. 7 Collin Schildt (Kutztown)

197 Pounds
First Round - No. 3 Wes Phipps (Mercyhurst) def. Brandon Steele (ESU) via maj. decision, 11-3
Consolation Round 1 - Brandon Steele (ESU) receives a bye
Consolation Round 2 - Brandon Steele (ESU) def. No. 4 Jake Temple (Seton Hill) via med. forfeit
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday) - Brandon Steele (ESU) vs. Ethan Budd (Gannon)

285 Pounds
First Round - No. 4 D.J. Sims (UPJ) def. Daniel Makagon (ESU) via fall, 1:29
Consolation Round 1 - Derek Berberick (Shippensburg) def. Daniel Makagon via maj. decision, 18-6