CLEVELAND (OH) — Delaware Valley University senior 133-pounder Brenden Velez won three matches in the consolation bracket to stay alive and earn All-America honors as day one of competition ended at the 2018 NCAA Division III Championships. Teammates Kordell Rush (125 pounds) and Tim Ambacher (141) were eliminated from the tournament on Friday.
 
Velez, a three-time national qualifier, became the 82^nd All-American in the storied history of the Aggie wrestling program and they have now had at least All-American (top eight finish at nationals) for the 23^rd consecutive year
 
The streak was in jeopardy as all three DelVal wrestlers dropped their opening matches. For Velez, his 5-3 setback to Owen McClave (Coast Guad) came in the preliminaries, meaning that he would have to win three straight matches, including two during the night session, to remain in the consolation bracket and assure himself of placing at the NCAAs for the first time.  
 
The run in consolations became even tougher for Velez when second-seeded Owen Doster (Wabash) was upset in the opening round and dropped into the bracket against Velez.
Velez notched a takedown 39 seconds in and led 2-1 going into the second. He held the top position and kept Doster on the mat for the full two minutes. Velez then held Doster down throughout the third and earned a four-point near fall at the end for a 6-1 upset.
 
Session two began with Velez faced unseeded Tyler Demo (Wisconsin Eau-Claire) and he trailed 2-1 after the first. However, Velez notched a penalty point, an escape, a takedown and a two-point near fall for a 7-2 advantage going into the third. He led 8-5 before giving up a pair of stalling points at the end for the win.
 
That triumph put Velez in All-America match against unseeded Brendan Gould (Augustana). With a spot in Saturday's competition on the line, Velez's escape in the second period was the lone point of the first five minutes. Gould got a takedown with 42 seconds left and time ticked towards the end of the match. However, Velez reversed Gould with 11 seconds to go and nearly pinned him. He picked up two points for the reversal and four for a near fall, en route to the 7-2 win and All-America accolades.
 
"I knew I was down, but I wasn't going to let our All-American streak end," Velez said.
 
Velez (27-16) can still place as high as third and his action on Saturday will begin against fifth-seeded Anthony Munoz (Elmhurst).
 
Rush's first trip to the NCAAs saw the sophomore go against sixth-seeded Christopher Doyle (Baldwin Wallace) in the opening round. He gave up two takedowns and an escape in a 5-0 setback that dropped him into the consolation bracket.
 
Rush then met top-seeded Clarren Pestano (Central) who suffered a shocking upset in the preliminaries. Rush trailed 4-2 after one and was still down two, 6-4, going into the third period. He could not get a point in the final two minutes as Pestano secured the 7-4 win.
 
For Rush, his season ended with a 19-13 record, a regional runner-up finish and a berth to the NCAA Championships.
 
Ambacher, a senior, drew a preliminary bout and faced Brendan Ladd (Alma). He got out of the gate quickly, registering a takedown just ticks in. Ladd escaped and then got a takedown of his own before Ambacher escaped and the two were tied at 3-3 after the first three minutes. Ladd picked up an escape to start the second period, but Ambacher notched a takedown with five seconds left in the second. He held a one-point lead until the closing seconds when Ladd got a takedown with 12 ticks to go for a 6-5 win.
 
Ambacher then met eighth-seeded Chase Wilson (Manchester) and trailed 3-0 midway through the second period. He got an escape in the second and one in the third as well, but dropped a 3-2 decision to end his run in the tournament and in his collegiate career. Ambacher posted a 61-30 record (22-9 this season) and two trips to the NCAA Championships in his three years with the Aggies.
 
 DELAWARE VALLEY UNIVERSITY COMPETITORS
133 pounds – Brenden Velez (Bristow, VA/Brentsville) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlers
Championship Preliminaries: Lost by decision to Owen McClave (Coast Guard), 5-3
Consolation First Round: Won by decision over #2 Owen Doster (Wabash), 6-1
Consolation Second Round: Won by decision over Tyler Demo (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), 8-7
Consolation Third Round: Won by decision over Brendan Gould (Augustana), 7-2
Consolation Quarterfinals (Saturday) vs #5 Anthony Munoz (Elmhurst)
 
125 pounds – Kordell Rush (Perkasie, PA/Pennridge) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlers
Championship First Round: Lost by decision to #6 Christopher Doyle (Baldwin Wallace), 5-0
Consolation First Round: Lost by decision to #1 Clarren Pestano (Central), 7-4
- Rush finishes his season with a 19-13 record -
 
141 pounds – Tim Ambacher (Newtown,PA/Council Rock North) – Unseeded out of 18 wrestlers

Championship Preliminaries: Lost by decision to Brendan Ladd (Alma), 6-5 Consolation First Round: Lost by decision to #8 Chase Wilson (Manchester), 3-2 - Ambacher finishes his season with a 22-9 record –