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Eze Chukwuezi Named Outstanding Wrestler; Ithaca Wrestling Finishes Second at the 2023 Mideast Regional Championships

NEWS


ITHACA, N.Y. - Day two of the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament was full of upsets, energy, and champions. The top three of each weight class will take the trip down to Roanoke, Virginia to compete for a national title. With as many ranked wrestlers as the Mideast Region holds, the qualifier spots were up for grabs on the mat until the very last whistle was blown. Podium day was certainly successful for Ithaca College's wrestlers. Eight out of ten weight classes placed, four are moving onto the next level, two claimed the Mideast throne, and one athlete was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. The Ithaca College wrestling program gutted out a second place finish in the team standings. They outscored a #24 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) ranked RIT but fell short to TCNJ who placed one more wrestler.

The Bombers may not have won the team title but were certainly the most dominant team to take the mat. They were tied for the most pins in the tournament with nine. They led the Mideast Region in tech falls with three. Those two stats combined for twelve total match ending falls, which was three more early endings than the tied runner ups. If that wasn't convincing enough, IC had the most match points scored with a whopping 272 total points this weekend.

Who won what and where is who going? Great question. The results are happy to answer that tongue twister below.

*All rankings are D3Wrestle/NWCA. Single rankings above 15 are D3Wrestle.

133 Isaias Torres: NCAA Championship Qualifier via 2nd Place Finish
Like many predicted, Torres met up with top seeded #12/#11 Jayden Cardenas from Cortland in the finals. Torres was unable to get his offense flowing as Cardenas controlled most of the match with an underhook. It took until the finals for him to give up a takedown, but unfortunately that was enough to prevent Torres from winning a title. Even though he lost 3-1, Torres advanced to the tournament very capable of shaking up the bracket. When his offense reaches his desired flow, the first year can consistently score on anybody in the country.

141 Luis Hernandez: 4th Place Regional Finish
A fourth-place regional finish is an amazing accomplishment, but it certainly stings for Hernandez who falls just shy of returning to the NCAA DIII Tournament. His semifinal was against Mideast Champ #5/#9 Xavier Pena from Centenary. Hernandez was deep on a shot and inches away from pulling off an upset on the edge of the mat late in the third, but ultimately got leveraged into a stalemate position to drop the match 3-2. After beating a tough opponent in Noah Hunt (Penn Tech) to go to the third-place bout, he once again lost a 3-2 match to a ranked opponent; Cahal Donovan (Cortland). Hernandez had a tough pull all season running into elite opponents left and right. While proven to be elite himself, the matches just didn't go his way today.

149 Matthew Beyer: NCAA Championship Qualifier via 2nd Place Finish
Beyer won an exciting semifinal match against #21 Jeff Johnson from New Jersey City University. Down 1-0 going into the third period, Beyer was able to get an escape and a late takedown to lock up a trip to the finals where he met #4/#3 Thomas Monn (McDaniel). Much like the match prior, Beyer was down one in the third and looking for some late match heroics. He got his escape only after Monn collected enough riding time to award himself a point. Beyer was able to get in deep on a crackdown single with time running out, but as he stepped over the legs of Monn and collected the far leg, the referee never awarded two before time ran out. The challenge brick was thrown to no avail. Beyer wrestled smart in both his matches today. If he continues to wrestle this quality style of wrestling, he will be a dark horse in the NCAA tournament.

157 Wenchard Pierre-Louis: NCAA Championship Qualifier & Mideast Region Champion
Pierre-Louis had two tough ranked opponents today. #14/#11 Dorian Gonzolez from Elizabethtown and #9/#12 Matt Sacco from TCNJ both kept it close the entire match. However, Pierre-Louis was simply better today. He controlled the mat from the first whistle to the last en route to his path to the throne. Some might consider this a big time upset of a bracket with three wrestlers seeded above Wenchard all hovering around top ten (the other wrestler is #11/#7 Brendan Bowles from Muhlenberg). For Ithaca fans that have followed this electric 157 pounder's journey all season: This wasn't an upset rather than just a matter of time.

165 Travis Jones: 5th Place Regional Finish
After losing his match in the prelims, Jones won five of his last six matches to claim a spot on the podium. His only other loss came to #18 Brian Schneider (Elizabethtown) in the consolation semis. Jones capped off his senior campaign in style with a 20-3 tech fall for a fifth-place finish. He had the most falls for Ithaca by a landslide with four pinfalls and a tech fall. He scored 16.5 team points, which is tied for the most from a non-champion. Torres is tied, but even he benefits from the large advancement point boost. Jones has the most convincing and exciting fifth place performance in the region.

174 Jackson Gray: 8th Place Regional Finish
The weight bump for Gray definitely took a toll on his style of wrestling. A lot of the shots he would be able to finish at 165 were getting routed by the extra length and strength from the athletes at 174. Gray is still an underclassmen and had a fantastic year at 165. He should be on the DIII radar come next season.

197 Eze Chukwuezi: National Championship Qualifier & Mideast Region Champion
Most Outstanding Wrestler Eze Chukwuezi was not only the best 197 pounder of the weekend, but the best wrestler within the entire ten weight classes. He only wrestled one match today, but dominated a 3-0 decision against #13 Josh Harkless (RIT). The championship was the easiest title match of his life due to a medical forfeit. The most wrestling Eze had to do was handfight with the ref who was raising his hand victorious. Eze only gave a few points because he was cutting a wrestler loose to go feet to back for the pin. Impressive showing for the #5 wrestler in the country.

HWT Jeremy Mazzella: 8th Place Regional Finish
It would be interesting to see how Mazzella would have wrestled this tournament if he had some more time wrestling heavyweight under his belt. Heavyweight is a completely different style than any other weight class in the NCAA. Some offseason time to fill out 285 and learn how to wrestle the big guys over 50 pounds heavier will only make Mazzella more dangerous next season. In perspective, half a season at heavyweight to place eight in regionals is impressive. Excited to see what this bomber can do in the future.

Eze Chukwuezi Named Outstanding Wrestler; Ithaca Wrestling Finishes Second at the 2023 Mideast Regional Championships

NEWS


ITHACA, N.Y. - Day two of the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Tournament was full of upsets, energy, and champions. The top three of each weight class will take the trip down to Roanoke, Virginia to compete for a national title. With as many ranked wrestlers as the Mideast Region holds, the qualifier spots were up for grabs on the mat until the very last whistle was blown. Podium day was certainly successful for Ithaca College's wrestlers. Eight out of ten weight classes placed, four are moving onto the next level, two claimed the Mideast throne, and one athlete was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. The Ithaca College wrestling program gutted out a second place finish in the team standings. They outscored a #24 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) ranked RIT but fell short to TCNJ who placed one more wrestler.

The Bombers may not have won the team title but were certainly the most dominant team to take the mat. They were tied for the most pins in the tournament with nine. They led the Mideast Region in tech falls with three. Those two stats combined for twelve total match ending falls, which was three more early endings than the tied runner ups. If that wasn't convincing enough, IC had the most match points scored with a whopping 272 total points this weekend.

Who won what and where is who going? Great question. The results are happy to answer that tongue twister below.

*All rankings are D3Wrestle/NWCA. Single rankings above 15 are D3Wrestle.

133 Isaias Torres: NCAA Championship Qualifier via 2nd Place Finish
Like many predicted, Torres met up with top seeded #12/#11 Jayden Cardenas from Cortland in the finals. Torres was unable to get his offense flowing as Cardenas controlled most of the match with an underhook. It took until the finals for him to give up a takedown, but unfortunately that was enough to prevent Torres from winning a title. Even though he lost 3-1, Torres advanced to the tournament very capable of shaking up the bracket. When his offense reaches his desired flow, the first year can consistently score on anybody in the country.

141 Luis Hernandez: 4th Place Regional Finish
A fourth-place regional finish is an amazing accomplishment, but it certainly stings for Hernandez who falls just shy of returning to the NCAA DIII Tournament. His semifinal was against Mideast Champ #5/#9 Xavier Pena from Centenary. Hernandez was deep on a shot and inches away from pulling off an upset on the edge of the mat late in the third, but ultimately got leveraged into a stalemate position to drop the match 3-2. After beating a tough opponent in Noah Hunt (Penn Tech) to go to the third-place bout, he once again lost a 3-2 match to a ranked opponent; Cahal Donovan (Cortland). Hernandez had a tough pull all season running into elite opponents left and right. While proven to be elite himself, the matches just didn't go his way today.

149 Matthew Beyer: NCAA Championship Qualifier via 2nd Place Finish
Beyer won an exciting semifinal match against #21 Jeff Johnson from New Jersey City University. Down 1-0 going into the third period, Beyer was able to get an escape and a late takedown to lock up a trip to the finals where he met #4/#3 Thomas Monn (McDaniel). Much like the match prior, Beyer was down one in the third and looking for some late match heroics. He got his escape only after Monn collected enough riding time to award himself a point. Beyer was able to get in deep on a crackdown single with time running out, but as he stepped over the legs of Monn and collected the far leg, the referee never awarded two before time ran out. The challenge brick was thrown to no avail. Beyer wrestled smart in both his matches today. If he continues to wrestle this quality style of wrestling, he will be a dark horse in the NCAA tournament.

157 Wenchard Pierre-Louis: NCAA Championship Qualifier & Mideast Region Champion
Pierre-Louis had two tough ranked opponents today. #14/#11 Dorian Gonzolez from Elizabethtown and #9/#12 Matt Sacco from TCNJ both kept it close the entire match. However, Pierre-Louis was simply better today. He controlled the mat from the first whistle to the last en route to his path to the throne. Some might consider this a big time upset of a bracket with three wrestlers seeded above Wenchard all hovering around top ten (the other wrestler is #11/#7 Brendan Bowles from Muhlenberg). For Ithaca fans that have followed this electric 157 pounder's journey all season: This wasn't an upset rather than just a matter of time.

165 Travis Jones: 5th Place Regional Finish
After losing his match in the prelims, Jones won five of his last six matches to claim a spot on the podium. His only other loss came to #18 Brian Schneider (Elizabethtown) in the consolation semis. Jones capped off his senior campaign in style with a 20-3 tech fall for a fifth-place finish. He had the most falls for Ithaca by a landslide with four pinfalls and a tech fall. He scored 16.5 team points, which is tied for the most from a non-champion. Torres is tied, but even he benefits from the large advancement point boost. Jones has the most convincing and exciting fifth place performance in the region.

174 Jackson Gray: 8th Place Regional Finish
The weight bump for Gray definitely took a toll on his style of wrestling. A lot of the shots he would be able to finish at 165 were getting routed by the extra length and strength from the athletes at 174. Gray is still an underclassmen and had a fantastic year at 165. He should be on the DIII radar come next season.

197 Eze Chukwuezi: National Championship Qualifier & Mideast Region Champion
Most Outstanding Wrestler Eze Chukwuezi was not only the best 197 pounder of the weekend, but the best wrestler within the entire ten weight classes. He only wrestled one match today, but dominated a 3-0 decision against #13 Josh Harkless (RIT). The championship was the easiest title match of his life due to a medical forfeit. The most wrestling Eze had to do was handfight with the ref who was raising his hand victorious. Eze only gave a few points because he was cutting a wrestler loose to go feet to back for the pin. Impressive showing for the #5 wrestler in the country.

HWT Jeremy Mazzella: 8th Place Regional Finish
It would be interesting to see how Mazzella would have wrestled this tournament if he had some more time wrestling heavyweight under his belt. Heavyweight is a completely different style than any other weight class in the NCAA. Some offseason time to fill out 285 and learn how to wrestle the big guys over 50 pounds heavier will only make Mazzella more dangerous next season. In perspective, half a season at heavyweight to place eight in regionals is impressive. Excited to see what this bomber can do in the future.

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