CEDAR RAPIDS (IA) – Delaware Valley College has finished in fifth place in the team standings for the third consecutive year while a record-tying five individuals – Kyle Bilquist (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North), Jesse Harrington (New Providence, NJ/Bound Brook), Justin Barowski (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach), Martin Porter (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) and Terrance Clendenin (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) - earned All-American accolades with a top eight finish at the 2010 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
The Aggies racked up 50.5 points with all but the championship finals completed at the two-day event. That is good enough for the fifth, top five finish in the storied history of the program. Delaware Valley was the national runner-up in 1988-89 and also brought home a national trophy (top four) with a fourth-place showing in 2003-04. Augsburg College (MN) is slated to win the NCAA title as it has 110.5 points heading into the finals. University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse is next with 88.5 points followed by Wartburg College (IA) and Coe College (IA) with 79.5 and 71 points respectively.
The five All-Americans ups Delaware Valley's total to 65 and matches the school record set last season. Twenty-four of the 65 All-Americans have come in the last eight years with head coach Brandon Totten at the helm.
Bilquist finished in fourth place at heavyweight for the second consecutive year and it was his third All-American honor (fifth in 2008). The remaining four earned their first top eight finish at nationals as Harrington took fifth at 197, Barowski and Porter were sixth at 165 and 197 pounds respectively, and Clendenin placed seventh at 125 pounds.
For Bilquist, the senior and four-time national qualifier became just the fourth wrestler in program history to earn All-American status at least three times in a career. He joined four-time All-Americans Mark Ambrose (1988-91) and Shaun Smith (1985-87, 1989) and three-time All-American Mike Jones (1998-2000) on the exclusive list. Bilquist also finished as the school's all-time leader in victories with 129 (129-20) while his .866 career winning percentage ranks 10th.
Bilquist was the number two seed for the tournament and he reached Saturday's semifinals with a 3-1 decision over Adam Salvers of Wilmington (23-3) and a marathon triumph over seventh-seeded Mitch Sander of Coe (26-4). That match lasted for 11 mats and the two were still deadlocked at 9-9, but riding time was the factor after the second set of tiebreakers as Bilquist had 16 seconds in his favor to pick up the victory.
Bilquist faced defending champion and third-seeded Dan Laurent of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (31-3) in the semis, and Laurent avenged an earlier season loss to Bilquist with a 9-4 decision. Bilquist bounced back with 6-5 victory over fourth-seeded Allyn Plattner of Wisconsin-Platteville (19-5) in the consolation semifinals, but he was pinned in just 48 seconds by No. 6 Adam Sutter of Lakeland (29-4) in the consolation finals. Bilquist won 30 of 35 matches this season.
Harrington, who was a national qualifier as a freshman in 2008 and missed all of last season with an injury, was the top seed in his weight class and advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3 triumph over Dale Handley of Coe (14-13) and a 3-1 victory over Matt Magill of New York University (25-11).
In the semis, Harrington was up one in the closing moments against fourth-seeded Luke Miller of Ohio Northern (37-4), when Miller registered a takedown with just five seconds on the clock for the 4-3 heartbreaker. Harrington followed with a 6-4 setback to No. 3 Jesse Milks of Wisconsin-Platteville (25-3), but he bounced back in the placement match with a 9-4 decision over No. 7 Adam Weber of Wartburg (28-10). Harrington won 25 of 31 matches during his junior season.
Barowski was one of the top stories on Friday as the unseeded senior pinned No. 1 Josh Terrell of Dubuque (21-5) 48 seconds into the third period of their opening-round contest. He then followed with a takedown with two ticks to go for a 4-3 triumph over eighth-seeded Matt Curley of Heidelburg (26-4) in the quarterfinals.
Barowski faced another unseeded wrestler in the semifinals in Vincent Renaut of Merchant Marine Academy (28-3) and two battled all match before Renaut came away with a 3-2 victory. Barowski and Terrell again in the consolation finals and Terrell earned a 15-3 major decision. That dropped Barowski into the fifth-place match against No. 4 Michael Morrin of Southern Maine (43-4) and it went to overtime where a takedown and near-fall gave Morrin the 13-8 victory.
Barowski ended his career with a 108-35 record, including a 50-18 mark in his two years with the Aggies. This year's effort included his first Midwest Regional title, his first trip to nationals and his first All-American award.
The same went for Porter in his senior year as he earned a trip to Iowa for the first time. He was unseeded and fell into the consolation bracket after a 6-4 loss to No. 6 Bill Schindel of Mount Union (22-2) in the opening round. He had a bye in the first round of consolations and then assured himself of a top eight finish with a 7-4 triumph over fourth-seeded Troy Carlson of University of Chicago (33-6).
Porter's run on Saturday began with 7-6 victory over eighth-seeded Martino Sottile of Cortland (22-9), but he dropped a 3-1 overtime decision to third-seeded Andy Moore of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (17-3) in the consolation semifinals. That put Porter in the fifth-place match and he was pinned by Zach Pizzaro of Wilkes (35-5) in 2:28. Porter notched an 82-42 record over his four years with Delaware Valley, including a 32-10 mark this season.
Clendenin, the fifth seed at 125, opened the tournament with a 26-second pin over Austin Moog of Buena Vista (32-9) and nearly pinned the defending champion and No. 4 seed Jake Oster of Elmhurst (15-5) in the quarters. Oster bounced back and notched a reversal just as the final buzzer sounded for an 8-6 decision. That put Clendenin in the third round of consolations and he registered takedown with just 10 seconds left to eliminate second-seeded Mark Kist of Wartburg (19-5), 3-1.
Saturday's start was the direct opposite of Friday for Clendenin as he was pinned in 39 ticks by unseeded Jayson Swanson of Luther (17-8). Clendenin dropped into the seventh-place match with that setback, but he bounced back and earned a win in the final match of his career, a 12-6 decision over unseeded Jordan Alfaro of Merchant Marine (22-4). Clendenin, a former Division I national qualifier with Lehigh, went 10-4 with a regional title in his lone year with the Aggies.
Freshman Emmanuel Ajagbe (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) and junior Dan Daddino (Franklin Square, NY/Carey) were eliminated from the tournament on Friday at 149 and 174 pounds respectively.
Ajagbe made his national championship debut and held his No. 8 seed with a 4-2 decision over Kevin Sutherland of Rhode Island College (39-8). That put Ajagbe in the quarterfinals against top-seeded Blaine Woszczak of Ithaca (36-5) and he dropped a 10-5 decision to fall into the consolation bracket. He was then knocked out of the tournament with a 3-2 setback to unseeded Charlie Curran of Elmhurst (32-7). Ajagbe posted a 28-9 record and a Midwest Regional crown in his first collegiate season.
Daddino, a transfer from Nassau Community College, made his first trip to the Division III tournament and drew second-seeded Zach Molitor of Augsburg (27-3) in the preliminaries. He dropped a 5-0 decision and was then pinned in 5:38 by Chris Wade of Oneonta (17-5) to end his run. Daddino finished his first season with the Aggies with a 29-13 record and a Midwest Regional title.
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
TEAM STANDINGS (Top 10) – Not including championship finals
1. Augsburg (MN)… 110.5 points
2. Wisconsin-LaCrosse… 88.5 points
3. Wartburg (IA)… 79.5 points
4. Coe (IA)… 71.0 points
5. Delaware Valley… 50.5 points
6. Ithaca (NY)… 41.0 points
7. Dubuque (IA)… 32.5 points
7. Luther (IA)… 31.0 points
9. Ohio Northern… 30.0 points
9. Concordia Moorhead… 27.5 points
HOW DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE WRESTLERS FARED
Kyle Bilquist – 285 pounds – (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) – Seeded 2nd out of 14 Wrestlers
Championship First Round (Friday): Won by decision over Adam Salvers (Wilmington), 3-1
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Won by decision over #7 Mitch Sander (Coe), 9-9 TB2 RT
Championship Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to #3 Dan Laurent (Wisconsin-LaCrosse), 8-4
Consolation Semifinals (Saturday): Won by decision over #4 Allvn Plattner (Luther), 6-5
Consolation Finals (Saturday): Lost by fall to #6 Adam Sutter (Lakeland), 0:48
- Bilquist placed fourth for the second consecutive year and his third All-American honor (fifth in 2008). The four-time national qualifier and three-time Midwest Regional champion ended his career as Delaware Valley's all-time leader in victories with 129 (129-20), including a 30-5 record this season. -
Jesse Harrington – 157 pounds – (New Providence, NJ/Bound Brook) – Seeded 1st out of 17
Championship First Round (Friday): Won by decision over Dale Handley (Coe), 6-3
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Won by decision over Matt Magill (NYU), 3-1
Championship Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to #4 Luke Miller (Ohio Northern), 4-3
Consolation Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to #3 Jesse Milkes (Wisconsin-Platteville), 6-4
Fifth-Place Match (Saturday): Won by decision over #7 Adam Weber (Wartburg), 9-4
- Harrington, a junior, placed fifth for his first All-American accolade. The two-time national qualifier notched a 25-6 record this year. -
Justin Barowski – 165 pounds – (Point Pleasant, NJ/Point Pleasant Beach) – Unseeded out of 17
Championship First Round (Friday): Won by fall over #1 Josh Terrell (Dubuque), 5:48
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Won by decision over #8 Matt Curley (Heidelberg), 4-3
Championship Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to Vincent Renaut (Merchant Marine Acad.), 3-2
Consolation Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by major decision to #1 Josh Terrell (Dubuque), 15-3
Fifth-Place Match (Saturday): Lost by decision to #4 Michael Morin (Southern Maine), 13-8 SV1
- Barowski, a senior, placed sixth for the first All-American honor of his career. He went 25-8 this season and finished his career with a 108-35 mark (50-18 in his two years with the Aggies). -
Martin Porter – 197 pounds – (Long Branch, NJ/Long Branch) – Unseeded out of 15 Wrestlers
Championship First Round (Friday): Lost by decision to #6 Bill Schindel (Mt. Union), 8-6
Consolation First Round (Friday): Bye
Consolation Second Round (Friday): Won by decision over #4 Tory Carlson (Univ. of Chicago), 7-4
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday): Won by decision over #8 Martino Sottile (Cortland), 7-6
Consolation Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to #3 Andy Moore (Wisconsin-LaCrosse), 3-1 SV
Fifth-Place Match (Saturday): Lost by fall to Zach Pizzaro (Wilkes), 2:28
- Porter, a senior, placed sixth for the first All-American honor of his career. He went 32-10 on the season and had a career mark of 82-42. -
Terrance Clendenin – 125 pounds – (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) – Seeded 5th out of 17
Championship First Round (Friday): Won by fall over Austin Mogg (Buena Vista), 0:26
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Lost by decision to #4 Jake Oster (Elmhurst), 8-6
Consolation Third Round (Friday): Won by decision over #2 Mark Kist (Wartburg), 3-1
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday): Lost by fall to Jayson Swanson (Luther), 0:39
Seventh-Place Match (Saturday): Won by decision over Jordan Alfaro (Merchant Marine), 12-6
- Clendenin, a senior, placed seventh for the first All-American accolade of his career. The former Division I national qualifier posted a 10-4 mark in only year with the Aggies. -
Emmanuel Ajagbe – 149 pounds – (Bogota, NJ/Bogota) – Seeded 8th out of 18 Wrestlers
Championship First Round (Friday): Won by decision over Kevin Sutherland (Rhode Island College), 4-2
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Lost by decision to #1 Blaine Woszczak (Ithaca), 10-5
Consolation Third Round (Friday): Lost by decision to Charlie Curran (Elmhurst), 3-2
- Ajagbe, a freshman, finished the year with a 28-9 record -
Dan Daddino – 174 pounds – (Franklin Square, NY/Carey) – Unseeded out of 17 Wrestlers
Championship Preliminary Round (Friday): Lost by decision to #2 Zach Molitor (Augsburg), 5-0
Consolation First Round (Friday): Lost by fall to Chris Wade (Oneonta State), 5:38
- Daddino, a junior transfer, finished the year with a 29-11 record -
