ESU Wrestling Results (Day One) | ESU Wrestling Results (Day Two)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – East Stroudsburg University redshirt junior Mike Raccioppi etched his name into the record books on Saturday as he placed third at the 2019 NCAA DII Wrestling Championships, going 5-1 overall and battling through the 174-pound consolation bracket to get to the third-place match.
 
Raccioppi (30-5) joins ESU alums Ed Ebewo (2012) and Jack Cuvo (1988-89) as the only Warriors to win five matches in a single NCAA tournament since 1978. He faced five of the top-10 nationally-ranked wrestlers at 174 pounds, including top-ranked Brandon Supernaw of Western Colorado.
 
The top-eight wrestlers from each weight class will be recognized as All-Americans following the completion of tonight's first-place matches that begin at 7 p.m. The Warriors now have five All-Americans - Shane Mallory (2nd at 184) in 2010, Ed Ebewo (3rd at 197) in 2012, Braden Turner (6th at 157) in 2012, Brendan McKeown (6th at 174) in 2013, and Mike Raccioppi (3rd at 174) in 2019 - since reclassifying to DII in 2010. He is the 23rd wrestler to garner All-American status in program history.
 
Raccioppi would face Phillip Springsteen (U. of Mary) in his first matchup of the day. Springsteen entered the tournament ranked No. 6 nationally, just ahead of Raccioppi at No. 7. Raccioppi notched an 11-3 major decision victory over Springsteen to stay alive in the tournament and advance to the consolation semifinals.
 
He would get his shot to face the top-ranked wrestler at 174 pounds in the semifinals as Supernaw dropped his first bout of the tournament in the winner's bracket against McKendree's Nick Foster. Raccioppi and Supernaw would go toe-to-toe in their bought with both tallying five takedowns in the first period. Leading 11-7 in the second period, Raccioppi would gain some momentum and get the positioning to pin Supernaw at the 3:12 mark and advance to the third-place match.
 
Raccioppi battled against No. 3 Kolton Eischens from Saint Cloud St. in his final bout of the tournament. Eischens would be placed in the consolation bracket after dropping his semifinal matchup on the winner's side and beat Kutztown's TC Warner to advance to face Raccioppi. Eischens recorded four escapes in the first period against Raccioppi but would find himself down 10-8 heading into the second period. Raccioppi tallied a takedown halfway through the period before pinning Eischens at the 3:39 mark to secure his third-place finish at the national tournament and first All-American recognition.
 
The Parade of All-Americans will begin at 6:40 p.m. as Raccioppi will be one of the 80 wrestlers recognized inside the Wolstein Center prior to the start of the championship matches at 7 p.m. The team awards ceremony following the championship matches will conclude the 2019 NCAA DII Wrestling Championships.