Full Results

ERIE, Pa. – The sixteenth-ranked East Stroudsburg University men's wrestling team finished fifth in the 2020 NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Championships on Saturday and qualified a pair of wrestlers for Nationals at the MAC on the campus of Mercyhurst University.
 
This is the second year that Division II recognizes six Super Regions, meaning the Top 3 finishers at each weight class advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships on March 13-14 in Sioux Falls.
 
ESU recorded its best finish as a team since finishing sixth out of 12 teams in 2013-14. The Warriors tallied 52.5 points, while Pitt-Johnstown notched 147.5 points to win the regional championship.
 
Senior Elliot Riddick finished the day 4-0 at 184 pounds and became the first ESU wrestler since Brendan McKeown in 2013 to claim a regional title after defeating Pitt-Johnstown's Connor Craig in the championship match via a 3-2 decision. Craig captured the DII title in 2019 wrestling at 174 pounds for Wheeling Jesuit. Riddick improved his overall record to 16-1 and scored 20 points for the Warriors.
 
Redshirt senior Mike Raccioppi qualified for his second straight DII Wrestling Championships at 174 pounds and finished 3-1 after dropping an 8-3 decision in the title match against Pitt-Johnstown's Brock Biddle. The loss was the first of the season for Raccioppi, who stands at 22-1 entering the national tournament. Raccioppi tallied 18 points for ESU and notched a pair of tech fall victories and one fall.
 
The Warriors also had a pair of wrestler's record podium finishes on the day as junior Marquan Payne finished sixth at 157 pounds after going 3-3 and falling to Pitt-Johnstown's Jacob Burgette in the fifth-place match. Freshman Brandon De La Rosa finished sixth for ESU at 125 pounds and went 1-3 while falling short against Noah Hodges from Alderson Broaddus in the fifth-place bout.
 
Junior Nick Conetta won his opening match of the day to advance to the 133-pound quarterfinals before dropping each of his next two bouts, while junior Sczar Charles pinned Ryan Weitz from Alderson Broaddus in the consolation second round before falling in the next round.
 
Super Region 1 is comprised of 11 teams – eight PSAC Division II wrestling programs (East Stroudsburg, Gannon, Kutztown, Mercyhurst, Millersville, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill and Shippensburg) along with independents American International, Alderson Broaddus, and Fairmont State.
 
ESU finished eighth out of 10 schools in the team standings last year and qualified two wrestlers for the 2019 NCAA DII Wrestling Championships. The Warriors had four wrestlers that recorded podium finishes after placing in the top-six of their respective weight classes.
 
The Warriors entered the tournament with three wrestlers listed in the latest Super Region 1 individual rankings (Conetta - fifth at 133 pounds, Raccioppi - first at 174 pounds, and Riddick - third at 184 pounds). ESU has had at least two NCAA DII Qualifiers on four different occasions since 2015.