Alfred State junior Sean Malenfant (Averill Park, NY) wrapped up an impressive season by wrestling to All-American honors at the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championships. He finished Nationals 4-2 to earn fifth place in the 184 lb. bracket.
Malenfant started the championships with a 5-0 victory over Gavin Layman (Ohio Northern) to become the first Pioneer to ever win a match at Nationals. In the quarterfinals, he lost a tight 7-6 decision to fall in the consolation bracket. To end the day on Friday, he pinned Trent Furman (NYU) in 6:15 to guarantee All-American status.
He started action on Saturday with a 4-2 victory over Jack Ryan (Oneonta) but fell 7-2 in the consolation semifinals. In the 5th place match, he capped his historic season with a major decision 10-1 victory over Dylan Wellbaum (Adrian).
Malenfant finishes the season with a 36-4 overall record.
Zach Levey (Horseheads, NY) also competed for the Pioneers. He went 1-2 in the 133 lb. bracket. He fell 9-8 in the opening match, rebounded with a pin of Danny Haws (Centenary) in 3:59, and lost a heart breaker by overtime riding time. Levey finishes his junior season with a 30-5 overall record.
As a team the Pioneers finished 27th with 14.5 points. 66 teams competed at the National Championships.