LA CROSSE (WI) -- Delaware Valley College junior 149-pounder Zak Andrews finished in fifth place while senior 157-pounder Jesse Harrington took seventh to pace the Aggies at the NCAA Division III Championships at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
As a team, Delaware Valley finished in 19th place with 19.5 points. Wartburg College succesfully defended its title with 117 points while Augsburg College (88.5 points), Wisconsin La Crosse (76.5 points), Ithaca College (72.5 points) and Coe College (67 points) rounded out the top five.
Andrews and Harrington became the 66th and 67th All-Americans (top eight finish) in Delaware Valley wrestling history. It was Andrews' first time on the national podium while Harrington earned the honor for the second straight year as he placed fifth in 2010.
Freshman Aaron Karns and senior Matt Ulrich also competed for the Aggies at the NCAAs at 197 and 141 pounds respectively. Karns reached the third round of consolations before being eliminated while Ulrich dropped both of his matches.
Andrews was unseeded in his weight class and dropped a 17-6 major decision to third-seeded Minga Batsukh of St. John's in his opening match. Batsukh won the last two national titles at 141 pounds before moving up a weight class this season.
However, Andrews bounced back and went 4-1 in the consolation bracket, knocking off the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth-ranked wrestlers along the way. Just two weeks earlier, Andrews had a similar run at the Metropolitan Conference Championships and he won five straight in consolations, including the true second-place match, and was awarded a wild-card berth to nationals by the coaches.
The NCAA run began on Friday with a 9-5 decision over 2009 national champion and three-time All-American Matt Mauseth of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, who was the sixth seed in this tournament. Andrews then assured himself of a top eight finish by pinning No. 8 Isaiah Britton of Lycoming with just 35 seconds remaining (6:25).
Andrews met fifth-seeded Anthony Dattolo of Wilkes in Saturday's consolation quarterfinals and notched five, near-fall points en route to a 9-6 decision. He was pinned by No. 2 Blaine Woszchak in 4:56 of their semifinal match-up and that dropped him into the fifth/sixth place contest against seventh-ranked Jacob Groth of Wartburg. Andrews was up 8-2 in the match when he pinned Groth with 19 seconds left in the first (2:41) to finish in fifth place. Andrews went 35-8 with 16 pins on the season.
Harrington's third trip to the NCAAs (qualifier in 2008, fifth last year) saw him earn the number four seed in his weight class after winning the 157-pound crown at the Metro championships. However, his championship hopes came to end in the second round (after a bye) when he was pinned by unseeded Erik Hanson of Loras in 4:24.
Harrington bounced back in the consolation bracket and assured his second All-American accolade by registering a 4-1 decision over Mike Wiley of Plymouth State and a 3-2 triumph over sevneth-seeded Nicholas Loughlin of Cornell on Friday.
Harrington met sixth-seeded Elias Larson of Trine in Saturday morning's consolation quarterfinals and dropped a 5-0 decision. That put him in the seventh/eighth place match against unseeded Chris Burdge of Centenary. Harrington posted a pair of takedowns in the first period and never looked back. His final collegiate match ended with his arm raised in a 9-5 decision. Harrington posted a 77-21 career record with the Aggies, including a 25-7 mark this season.
Karns earned a trip to nationals in his rookie campaign by placing second at the Metropolitan championships and picking up a wild-card berth. He was seeded eighth in the 197-pound bracket and opened with a 3-0 blanking of Sam Johnson of Dubuque.
The win advanced Karns into the quarterfinals where he faced top-seeded and returning national champion Byron Tate. Tate improved to 40-1 (his lone loss was to a Division I wrestler) as he notched a 19-4 technical fall victory over Karns, dropping the Aggie into the consolation bracket.
Karns then fell behind 3-0 and eventually dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 7 Adam Latella of Wisconsin-Whitewater to end his run in the tournament. He ended his freshman campaign with a 27-8 record.
Ulrich, an All-American at the University of Southern Maine last season, transferred closer to home for his senior season. He was unseeded for the tournament and dropped a 5-2 decision to Chris LeClere of Coe in the opening round. That dropped Ulrich into the consolation bracket against another 2010 All-American, third-seeded Aljamain Sterling of Cortland, and Sterling earned a 6-1 decision. Ulrich finished the year with a 19-10 record.
HOW THE AGGIE WRESTLERS FARED
Zak Andrews – Emmaus, PA (Emmaus) – 149 pounds – Unseeded out of 17 wrestlers
Championship First Round (Friday): Bye
Championship Second Round (Friday): Lost by major decision to #3 Minga Batsukh (St. John's), 17-6
Consolation First Round (Friday): Bye
Consolation Second Round (Friday): Won by decision over #6 Matt Mauseth (Wisconsin-LaCrosse), 9-5
Consolation Third Round (Friday): Won by fall over #8 Isaiah Britton (Lycoming), 6:25
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday): Won by decision over #5 Anthony Dattolo (Wilkes), 9-6
Consolation Semifinals (Saturday): Lost by fall to #2 Blaine Woszczak (Ithaca), 4:56
Fifth/Sixth Place Match (Saturday): Won by fall over #7 Jacob Groth (Wartburg), 2:41
- Andrews, a junior, finishes in fifth place for his first All-American honor. He posted a 35-8 record on the season. -
Jesse Harrington – New Providence, NJ (Bound Brook) – 157 pounds – Seeded 4th out of 17
Championship First Round (Friday): Bye
Championship Second Round (Friday): Lost by fall to Erik Hanson (Loras), 4:24
Consolation First Round (Friday): Bye
Consolation Second Round (Friday): Won by decision over Mike Wiley (Plymouth State), 4-1
Consolation Third Round (Friday): Won by decision over #7 Nicholas Loughlin (Cornell), 3-2
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday): Lost by decision to #6 Elias Larson (Trine), 5-0
Seventh/Eighth Place Match (Saturday): Won by decision over Chris Burdge (Centenary), 9-5
- Harrington, a senior, finishes in seventh for his second All-American honor (fifth last year). He posted a 25-7 record on the season and finished his career with a 77-21 mark. -
Aaron Karns – Bloomsburg, PA (Berwick) – 197 pounds – Seeded 8th out of 16 wrestlers
Championship Second Round (Friday): Won by decision over Sam Johnson (Dubuque), 3-0
Championship Quarterfinals (Friday): Lost by technical fall to #1 Byron Tate (Wartburg), 19-4
Consolation Third Round (Friday): Lost by decision to #7 Adam Latella (Wisconsin-Whitewater), 3-1
- Karns, a freshman, is eliminated from the tournament. He finished with a 27-8 record. -
Matt Ulrich - Garfield, NJ (Garfield) – 141 pounds - Unseeded out of 19 wrestlers
Championship First Round (Friday): Lost by decision to Chris LeClere (Coe), 5-2
Consolation First Round (Friday): Lost by decision to #3 Aljamain Sterling (Cortland), 6-1
- Ulrich, a senior, is eliminated from the tournament. He finished his lone season with the Aggies with a 19-10 record -
