ROANOKE (VA) – Senior 197-pounder Aaron Karns and sophomore heavyweight Zach Roseberry not only repeated as NCAA East Regional champions, but their wins and bonus points in the finals gave Delaware Valley College the regional team title by just one point. Karns and Roseberry also qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships and four teammates will join them on the trip.
 
The top three placewinners in each weight classes at the six regional tournaments across the country advance to the NCAAs, which will be held in Hershey, Pennsylvania on March 13 and 14. Making the journey up the turnpike with Karns and Roseberry will be regional runner-up Vinny Fava (149 pounds) and third-place finishers and fellow seniors Zac Haynes (133 pounds), Alec Horan (165 pounds) and Connor Gabriel (184 pounds). Sophomore Ben Schweiger and junior Connor Kirkegard also placed at the regionals as Schweiger took fifth at 174 pounds while Kirkegard was sixth at 125.
 
On a number of occasions over the last two years, Delaware Valley College has seen matches come down to the end and its All-American tandem at the back of its lineup. So it was only fitting that a tight NCAA East Regional championship team race would be left in their hands as New York University led 120-116 with two weight classes remaining.
 
Karns, a two-time All-American (sixth in 2013 and fourth in 2014) and number one ranked wrestler nationally in his weight class, had two takedowns, a two-point near fall, an escape and riding time in an 8-0 major decision over third-seeded Ricky Fisher (Merchant Marine) for his third regional crown and fourth trip to the NCAAs. NYU had a fifth-place finisher at 197, leaving them in the lead at 122-119
 
Roseberry, who was fourth at nationals for All-America accolades as a rookie last year, faced second-seeded Chris Florek (Stevens Tech) in the finals and NYU did not have anyone wrestling in the placement matches at that weight class. Roseberry, seeded first and ranked seventh nationally needed just 79 seconds before he registered a takedown. Thirty-three ticks later, he had Florek pinned to the mat for the regional crown and a team championship by a 123-122 score.
 
The one-point triumph gave Delaware Valley its seventh regional title in program history. Earlier in the season, the Aggies captured their 15^th Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championship.  
 
Karns opened the regionals by pinning Joe Ragsdale (Centenary) in just 82 seconds, and then followed with a 4-0 blanking of eighth-seeded Eric Bach (Wilkes) in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals against fifth-seeded Nathaniel Leer (College of NJ), Karns registered the first seven points before giving up an escape. He then tacked on six more points for a 13-1 major decision and then followed with the win over Fisher in the finals.
 
Karns, who should hold onto his number one ranking heading into the NCAAs, improved his season record to 29-3. He is now 118-24 in his storied career and he moved into fourth place on the Aggies' all-time victory list, passing 2012 graduate Zak Andrews (117 wins).
 
Roseberry had a first-round bye and then registered a 19-4, technical fall victory over eight-seeded Matt Kaminer (Washington & Lee) in the quarterfinals. Roseberry picked up a takedown midway through the first period of his semifinal bout with fifth-seeded Matan Peleg (Ursinus). Peleg escaped and then Roseberry registered one as well in the second. In the third, Peleg escaped with 42 seconds to go and Roseberry held him off the rest of the way for the 3-2 decision. Roseberry's win over Florek in the finals improved his season mark to 29-3.
 
Fava, who has been ranked first in Division III all season after a third-place showing and All-America honors at nationals last season, racked up major decisions in his first two bouts – 12-3 over Paul Biggs (Ferrum) and 16-6 over eighth-seeded Quinn Merrigan (Gettysburg) – to reach the semifinals. He then racked up an early takedown and eventually pinned fifth-seeded Matthew Coppola (NYU) late in the first period for a second straight NCAA berth and a spot in the finals.
 
Fava took on second-seeded and eighth-ranked Derek Arnold in the title match and jumped to 2-0 and 4-1 first-period leads with a pair of takedowns. Arnold picked up two escapes to trail by one going into the third and then he held Fava down for the entire two-minute final period for the riding point and overtime. In the extra session, Fava was taken down just 13 seconds in and Arnold had the win and the regional title. Fava will take a 23-3 record to nationals.
 
Haynes entered the regional as the number two seed and he pinned each of his first two opponents, Alex Reeves (Centenary) and Matthew Sparks (King's), in the second period to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, he faced third-seeded Matthew Grossman (Wilkes) and lost a 3-1 decision.
 
Haynes bounced back with a commanding, 9-4 decision over fifth-seeded Kevin Hoogheem (Ursinus) to reach the consolation finals against returning All-American, top-seeded and third-ranked Ryan O'Boyle (McDaniel). Haynes took it to O'Boyle immediate and got a takedown just 11 seconds in. He nearly pinned him off that takedown and was awarded three near-fall points. After a restart with Haynes on top, he dropped O'Boyle with just 63 seconds off the clock to improve to 26-7 on the season and earn his first trip to the NCAAs.
 
Horan, who just missed out on qualifying for nationals last year, came back for his final year of eligibility while starting his work towards a master's degree. He entered the regionals as a No. 4 seed and reaching the semifinals with a 6-1 win over Mike Maye (Merchant Marine) and a 2-0 over Kellen Whitney (College of NJ). Horan then fell into consolations after a 6-1 loss to top-seeded and sixth-ranked Jesse Bader (Hunter).
 
Horan pinned seventh-seeded Mason McIntyre (Wilkes) with 39 seconds left in their match to reach the consolation finals for the second year in a row. Against, third-seeded John Meisinger (NYU) and a critical head-to-head match for the team standings, Horan jumped out to a 5-1, third-period led and then held on for a 6-4 triumph, a 16-7 record and his first trip to the NCAAs.
 
Gabriel will also head to nationals for the first time. He was seeded sixth and fell into the consolation bracket after a quarterfinal loss to the third-seeded Phil Woods (Stevens Tech). Gabriel bounced back with three straight wins by a combined six points over seeded wrestlers in No. 5 Ron Tassoni (Washington & Lee), No. 7 Dan Wojtaszek (College of NJ) and No. 4 Patrick Rooney (Merchant Marine).

That put Gabriel in the consolation finals against unseeded Evan Johnson (Johns Hopkins). Gabriel got a takedown 26 seconds in and he led 2-1 after the first period. His escape in the second was the lone point of that period. Johnson escaped early in the third, but Gabriel hung on for the big 3-2 decision that improved him to 21-11 on the year.
 
Schweiger was seeded fifth in his bracket and a pin (2:42) and technical fall (15-0) in his first two matches put him in the quarterfinals, where he dropped a 6-2 decision to No. 4 Kyle Diesel (Wilkes). Schweiger bounced back in the consolations with back-to-back, first-period pins over Hubert Alston (Ferrum) and Cody Richmond (2:54). He was edged, 3-2, in the consolation semifinals by second-seeded AJ Kowal (Stevens Tech), but was dominant in a 10-3 decision over No. 6 Raymond Jazikoff (NYU) to place fifth. Schweiger went 23-9 on the year.
 
Kirkegard was the third seed in his weight class and he pinned his first opponent in 85 seconds and followed with a 2-1 decision over No. 6 Chris Tan (Ursinus) to reach the semifinals. Kikegard faced second-seeded and ninth-ranked Guesseppe Rea (Wilkes) and the match went to overtime after Rea was called for stalling with eight seconds to go. However, Rea picked up a takedown with 24 seconds left in the extra session for the 4-2 win.
 
Kirkegard then dropped his next two matches – a 9-3 decision to eighth-seeded Robert Murray (Stevens Tech) and a 5-1 setback to Tan – to finish in sixth place and end the year with a 22-10 mark.
 
Sophomore 141-pounder Joshua Di Santo and freshman 157-pounder Jeff Reimel also competed at the regionals for Delaware Valley but did not place at the event.
 
Di Santo was unseeded and opened with 24-8, technical fall upset over fourth-seeded Chris Hoogheem (Ursinus) in the preliminaries. Di Santo was pinned in his next match but registered another technical fall win in the first round of consolations. His run ended with a 10-8 lost to Ryan Wilson (Stevens Tech).
 
Reimel was seeded sixth and he advanced to the quarterfinals by pinning Robert Lamb (Muhlenberg) in 2:36. He was pinned by third-seeded Matthew DiGiovanni (NYU) but came back and dropped Nicholas Wilkes (Hunter) in 4:06. Reimel was disqualified in his third round consolation match with Joe Bartoloini (Centenary) to end his season with a 12-9 record.  
 
2015 NCAA EAST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - TEAM STANDINGS
1. Delaware Valley College – 123.0 points
2. New York University – 122.0 points
3. Stevens Institute of Technology – 100.5 points
4. Ursinus College – 98.0 points
5. Wilkes University – 92.0 points
6. The College of New Jersey – 69.0 points
7. Ferrum College – 49.5 points
8. Hunter College – 46.0 points
9. McDaniel College – 41.5 points
10. Centenary College – 41.0 points
10. Johns Hopkins University – 41.0 points
12. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy – 35.5 points
13. University of Scranton – 19.0 points
14. King's College – 11.0 points
15. Muhlenberg College – 4.5 points
16. Gettysburg College – 4.0 points
17. Washington & Lee University – 2.5 points
18. Mount Saint Vincent College – 0.0 points
 
HOW DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE WRESTLERS FARED
 
125 pounds – Connor Kirkegard (Gaylorsville, CT/New Milford) – Seeded 3^rd out of 15 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by fall over Brandon Davis (Scranton), 1:25
Championship Quarterfinals: Won by decision over #6 Chris Tan (Ursinus), 2-1
Championship Semifinals: Lost by decision to #2 Guesseppe Rea (Wilkes), 4-2 SV-1
Consolation Semifinals: Lost by decision to #8 Robert Murray (Stevens Tech), 9-3
5^th/6^th Place Match: Lost by decision to #6 Chris Tan (Ursinus), 5-1
- Kirkegard placed sixth at the NCAA East Regionals -  
 
133 pounds – Zac Haynes (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North) – Seeded 2^nd out of 16 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by fall over Alex Reeves (Centenary), 4:20
Championship Quarterfinals: Won by fall over Matthew Sparks (King's), 4:47
Championship Semifinals: Lost by decision to #3 Matthew Grossman (Wilkes), 3-1
Consolation Semifinals: Won by decision over #5 Kevin Hoogheem (Ursinus), 9-4
Consolation Finals: Won by fall over #1 Ryan O'Boyle (McDaniel), 1:02
- Haynes placed third at the NCAA East Regionals and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time-
 
141 pounds – Joshua Di Santo (Yardley, PA/Pennridge) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlers
Championship Preliminaries: Won by technical fall over #4 Chris Hoogheem (Ursinus), 24-8, 7:00
Championship First Round: Lost by fall to Cary Palmer (Hunter), 3:56
Consolation First Round: Won by technical fall over Alex Pollera (Washington & Lee), 18-2; 6:15
Consolation Second Round: Lost by decision to Ryan Wilson (Stevens Tech), 10-8
 
149 pounds – Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park, NJ/Elmwood Park) – Seeded 1^st out of 16 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by major decision over Paul Biggs (Ferrum), 12-3
Championship Quarterfinals: Won by major decision over #8 Quinn Merrigan (Gettysburg), 16-6
Championship Semifinals: Won by fall over #5 Matthew Coppola (NYU), 2:37
Championship Finals: Lost by decision to #2 Derek Arnold (Ursinus), 6-4 SV-1
- Fava placed second at the NCAA East Regionals and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships (second straight year) -
 
157 pounds – Jeff Reimel (Lansdale, PA/North Penn) – Seeded 6^th out of 18 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by fall over Robert Lamb (Muhlenberg), 2:36
Championship Quarterfinals: Lost by fall to #3 Matthew DiGiovanni (NYU), 5:00
Consolation Second Round: Won by fall over Nicholas Wilkie (Hunter), 4:06
Consolation Third Round: Lost by disqualification to Joe Bartolini (Centenary)
 
165 pounds – Alec Horan (Bryn Athyn, PA/Acad. of the New Church) – Seeded 4^th out of 16 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by decision over Mike Maye (Merchant Marine), 6-1
Championship Quarterfinals: Won by decision over Kellen Whitney (College of NJ), 2-0
Championship Semifinals: Lost by decision to #1 Jesse Bader (Hunter), 6-1
Consolation Semifinals: Won by fall over #7 Mason McInytre (Wilkes), 6:21
Consolation Finals: Won by decision over #3 John Meisinger (NYU), 6-4
- Horan placed third at the NCAA East Regionals and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time -

174 pounds – Ben Schweiger (Wexford, PA/North Allegheny) – Seeded 5^th out of 18 wrestlers
Championship Preliminaries: Won by fall over Jake Gordon (Muhlenberg), 2:42
Championship First Round: Won by technical fall over Zachary Smith (King's), 15-0; 5:25
Championship Quarterfinals: Lost by decision to #4 Kyle Diesel (Wilkes), 5-1
Consolation Second Round: Won by fall over Hubert Alston (Ferrum), 2:43
Consolation Third Round: Won by fall over Cody Richmond (Ursinus), 2;54
Consolation Semifinals: Lost by decision to #2 AJ Kowal (Stevens Tech), 3-2
5^th/6^th Place Match: Won by decision over #6 Raymond Jazikoff (NYU), 10-3
- Schweiger placed fifth at the NCAA East Regionals
 
184 pounds – Connor Gabriel (Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) – Seeded 6^th out of 14 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Bye
Championship Quarterfinals: Lost by decision to #3 Phil Woods (Stevens Tech), 4-3
Consolation Second Round: Won by decision over #5 Ron Tassoni (Washington & Lee), 10-9
Consolation Third Round: Won by decision over #7 Dan Wojtaszek (College of NJ), 7-4
Consolation Semifinals: Won by decision over #4 Patrick Rooney (Merchant Marine), 7-5
Consolation Finals: Won by decision over Evan Johnson (Johns Hopkins), 3-2
- Gabriel placed third at the NCAA East Regionals and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time-
  
197 pounds – Aaron Karns (Bloomsburg, PA/Berwick) – Seeded 1^st out of 17 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Won by fall over Joe Ragsdale (Centenary), 1:22
Championship Quarterfinals: Won by decision over #8 Eric Bach (Wilkes), 4-0
Championship Semifinals: Won by major decision over #5 Nathaniel Leer (College of NJ), 13-1
Championship Finals: Won by major decision over #3 Ricky Fisher (Merchant Marine), 8-0
- Karns won his third NCAA regional crown and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships for a fourth time -
 
285 pounds – Zach Roseberry (Nokesville, VA/Brentsville) – Seeded 1st out of 15 wrestlers

Championship First Round: Bye Championship Quarterfinals: Won by t. fall over #8Matt Kaminer (Washington & Lee), 19-4; 7:00 Championship Semifinals: Won by decision over #5 Matan Peleg (Ursinus), 3-2 Championship Finals: Won by fall over #2 Chris Florek (Stevens Tech), 1:52 - Roseberry won his second straight NCAA East Regional crown and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championships for a second time -