HERSHEY (PA) – Delaware Valley College senior 149-pounder
Vinny Fava finished as the Division III national runner-up while teammates and fellow All-Americans
Zach Roseberry,
Aaron Karns and
Zac Haynes placed in the top eight in their respective weight classes. The Aggies finished fifth in the team standings.
Delaware Valley concluded the NCAA Championships with 58.5 points. The Aggies were tied with Wabash for fourth heading into the finals, but Wabash broke the deadlock with a champion at 174 and 184 pounds. That dropped the Aggies to fifth to tie for the third-highest finish at the tournament (second place in 1989, fourth in 2004, fifth multiple times) and one spot out of bringing home a national trophy. Augsburg won the 2015 championship with 100 points followed by Wartburg (89.5 pts), Wabash (66.5 pts), Wisconsin-Whitewater (60.5 pts) and the Aggies.
Fava, who placed third as a junior transfer last year, reached the finals in 2015 for his second All-American award. Roseberry, who finished fourth as a freshman last year, moved up a spot to third at heavyweight and repeated as an All-American. Karns' third All-America accolade saw him place fourth at 197 pounds for the second consecutive year (he was sixth as a sophomore). Haynes wrapped up his senior year and first trip to the NCAAs by finishing seventh at 133 pounds.
The four All-Americans is the third-highest total in a season for Delaware Valley, which now has 79 wrestling All-Americans in his storied history. It is the 20
th straight year that the Aggies have had at least one All-American and the eighth straight season of multiple All-Americans.
Fava the third seed took a 27-3 record into the finals against No. 4 Kenneth Martin of Wartburg (31-3) in the finals. Martin needed just 21 seconds to get in for a takedown and a 2-0 lead. Fava escaped 13 ticks later but Martin picked up another takedown with 29 seconds left in the period for a 4-1 lead.
Fava chose the bottom position to start the second and picked up the only points of the period when he escaped Martin grasp 14 seconds in. Martin got the point back with an escape of his own in the third. Martin upped the lead to 7-2 with a takedown with just under a minute to go. Fava got one point for an escape with 37 seconds left but Martin, with another point for riding time, took the national championship with an 8-3 decision.
Fava hit the mat in Saturday's semifinals not only looking for a final berth but also seeking revenge for his lone Division III loss of the year as he fell to the second-seeded Arnold in overtime in the East Regional finals. Fava got a takedown just 12 seconds in and, following an Arnold escape, scored two more with a takedown with 1:39 left in the first. Arnold escaped late and the period ended with Fava holding 4-2 lead.
Fava chose neutral to start the second and he got inside and earned a takedown just 12 seconds in. He kept Arnold down for more than minute before Arnold earned a point for an escape with 43 seconds left in the period. Twenty-seconds later, it was Fava with another takedown and and 8-3 lead. Arnold chose the top position for the third and kept Fava down on the mat for the entire two-minute period, wiping out Fava's riding time. Fava was penalized for stalling three times but he had the 8-6 victory when the horn sounded.
Fava reached the semifinals with a dominant, 15-3 major decision over Mason Bohm (Wisconsin-Platteville) in the opening round and a 9-6 decision over sixth-seeded Mark Savenok (Wheaton) in the quarterfinals.
Roseberry, the fifth seed, won all three of his matches on Saturday and ended it with an exclamation point as he pinned No. 6 James Bethel (Oneonta) in the first 14 seconds of the third period in the consolation finals.
Roseberry opened Saturday with an 8-2 triumph over unseeded Conner Herma (Luther) in the consolation quarterfinals, and then picked up three, third-period points for a 5-2 decision over fourth-seeded Benjamin Nagle (Wartburg) in the consolation semifinals. He was down 4-3 against Bethel going into the third, before pinning him to end the season with a 34-4 record.
Roseberry reached Saturday's action and assured himself of All-America honors by going 3-1 on Friday. He pinned Justin Karkula (Wisconsin-Eau Claire) in the preliminaries before suffered a 7-6 loss to unseeded Trevor Maresh (Alma). In must-win matches, Roseberry notched a 10-5 decision over unseeded Chris Florek (Stevens Tech) and then edged No. 3 and returning All-American Mackenzie Green (Trine).
Karns, the number three seed at 197, dropped his final collegiate match, a 6-1 decision to top-seeded Eric Twohey (Wisconsin-La Crosse) in the consolation finals, but it takes nothing away from a career that stands among the best in school history. The four-time national qualifier became just the fifth Aggie wrestler to garner All-America accolades at least three times in a career. Karns also finished tied for third all-time with 121 wins (121-26), including 32-5 this season.
Karns began his Saturday with a 6-1 decision over eighth-seeded Matt Hechsel (Augburg) to advance to the consolation semifinals. He then had a rematch with returning All-American and unseeded Donnie Horner (Coe), who beat Karns in Friday's first match. Karns was up 1-0 going into the third when he turned Horner over and pinned him in the stanza.
The Friday loss to Horner by a 3-2 score put Karns in a pair of must-win matches to reached All-American status. He was deadlocked at 1-1 with unseeded Jared Groeneveld (Alma) before getting a takedown with two seconds left for the win. Karns followed with a 4-1 decision over No. 5 David Welch (Roger Williams).
The unseeded Haynes started his Saturday against No. 2 Alex Gomez (Ithaca) and fell behind 5-0 before losing 6-3. That dropped him into the seventh-eighth place match against No. 4 Connor Campo. Haynes had two takedowns in the first period for a 4-1 lead. Campo tied it in the third but Haynes escaped 25 seconds into the third and he kept Campo off the board the rest of the way for a 5-4 triumph and a 29-9 record on the season.
Haynes hit the mat for the first-time ever at the NCAA Championships on Friday and he had his arm raised in triumph as picked up a forfeit win over third-seeded Jeremy Border (Mount Union). That put the senior into the quarterfinals against sixth-seeded Evan Obert (Luther) and Obert notched a second-period pin. That put Haynes into a must-win match against unseeded Jacob Spearman (Washington & Jefferson) in the second round of consolations. He trailed early, but raillied for a 12-7 win and his first All-America honor.
Seniors
Connor Gabriel and
Alec Horan reached the NCAAs for the first time at 184 and 165 pounds respectively, but were eliminated on Friday.
Gabriel's first NCAA match saw him take a lead over eighth-seeded Jeff Palmeri (Brockport) and then pin him with 17 seconds left. Gabriel then faced the task of meeting defending champion and undefeated Riley Lefever (Wabash) and lost by an 18-2 technical gall. His tournament run then ended with a 10-5 setback to unseeded Daniel Olsen (Wheaton) and a 22-13 record.
Horan made his NCAA championship debut against eighth-seeded Nick Velez (Ithaca) and was edged, 4-3. That dropped Horan into a consolation preliminary match against unseeded CJ Caserta (Stevens Tech) and Caserta went on to a 9-2 decision to eliminate Horan from the tournament. Horan finished the campaign with a 16-9 record.
NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM STANDINGS – TOP 10 1. Augsburg – 100.0 points
2. Wartburg – 89.5 points
3. Wabash – 66.5 points
4. Wisconsin-Whitewater – 60.5 points
5. Delaware Valley – 58.5 points6. Messiah – 48.0 points
7. Coe – 40.5 points
8. Wisconsin-La Crosse – 40.0 points
9. Luther – 39.5 points
10. Williams – 33.0 points
HOW DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE WRESTLERS FARED149 pounds – Vinny Fava (Elmwood Park, NJ/Elmwood Park) – Seeded 3rd out of 18 wrestlersChampionship First Round (Fri): Won by major decision over Mason Bohm (Wisconsin-Platteville), 15-3
Championship Quarterfinals (Fri): Won by decision over #6 Mark Savenok (Wheaton), 9-6
Championship Semifinals (Sat): Won by decision over #2 Derek Arnold (Ursinus), 8-6
Championship Finals (Sat): Lost by decision to #4 Kenneth Martin (Wartburg), 8-3
- Fava, a senior, places second for his second straight All-America honor. He finishes the year with a 27-4 record. –
285 pounds – Zach Roseberry (Nokesville, VA/Brentsville) – Seeded 5th out of 18 wrestlersChampionship Preliminaries (Fri): Won by fall over Justin Karkula (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), 4:45
Championship First Round (Fri): Lost by decision to Trevor Maresh (Alma), 7-6
Consolation First Round (Fri): Won by decision over Chris Florek (Stevens Tech), 10-5
Consolation Second Round (Fri): Won by decision over #3 Mackenzie Green (Trine), 3-2
Consolation Quarterfinals (Sat): Won by decision over Conner Herman (Luther), 8-2
Consolation Semifinals (Sat): Won by decision over #4 Benjamin Nagle (Wartburg), 5-2
Consolation Finals (Sat): Won by fall over #6 James Bethel (Oneonta), 5:14
- Roseberry, a sophomore, places third for his second straight All-America honor. He finishes the year with a 34-4 record. –
197 pounds – Aaron Karns (Bloomsburg, PA/Berwick) – Seeded 3rd out of 18 wrestlers Championship First Round (Fri): Lost by decision to Donnie Horner (Coe), 3-2
Consolation First Round (Fri): Won by decision over Jared Groeneveld (Alma), 3-1
Consolation Second Round (Fri): Won by decision over #5 David Welch (Roger Williams), 4-1
Consolation Quarterfinals (Sat): Won by decision over #8 Matt Hechsel (Augsburg), 6-1
Consolation Semifinals (Sat): Won by fall over Donnie Horner (Coe), 5:25
Consolation Finals (Sat): Lost by decision to #1 Eric Twohey (Wisconsin-La Crosse), 6-1
- Karns, a senior, places fourth for his third straight All-America honor. He finishes the year with a 32-5 record and his career with a 121-26 record (tied for third all-time in wins) –
133 pounds – Zac Haynes (Newtown, PA/Council Rock North) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlersChampionship First Round (Fri): Won by forfeit over #3 Jeremy Border (Mount Union)
Championship Quarterfinals (Fri): Lost by fall to #6 Evan Obert (Luther), 2:11
Consolation Second Round (Fri): Won by decision over Jacob Spearman (Wash & Jeff), 12-7
Consolation Quarterfinals (Sat): Lost by decision to #2 Alex Gomez (Ithaca), 6-3
7
th/8
th Place Match (Sat): Won by decision over #4 Connor Campo (Wartburg), 5-4
- Haynes, a senior, places seventh for his first All-America honor. He finishes the year with a 29-9 record. -
184 pounds – Connor Gabriel (Roselle Park, NJ/Roselle Park) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlersChampionship First Round (Fri): Won by fall over #8 Jeff Palmeri (Brockport), 6:43
Championship Quarterfinals (Fri): Lost by technical fall to #1 Riley Lefever (Wabash), 18-2; 6:18
Consolation Second Round (Fri): Lost by decision to Daniel Olsen (Wheaton), 10-5
- Gabriel, a senior, has been eliminated from the tournament and finishes the season with a 22-13 mark.
165 pounds – Alec Horan (Bryn Athyn, PA/Acad. of the New Church) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlersChampionship First Round (Fri): Lost by decision to #8 Nick Velez (Ithaca), 3-0
Consolation Preliminaries (Fri): Lost by decision to CJ Caserta (Stevens Tech). 9-2
- Horan, a senior (grad student), has been eliminated from the tournament and finishes the season with a 16-9 mark.
