Mav wrestlers advance to finals
Five Maverick wrestlers moved on to the NCAA DII championships in St. Cloud on Saturday
The Minnesota State wrestling team had five wrestlers advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships on Saturday in St. Cloud.
Seth Elwood finished the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record and the title in the 165-pound weight class. On Saturday, Elwood gained a 13-4 major decision over Jesse Reser from Central Missouri to reach the finals. In the championship match, Elwood would earn an upset over no. 12 Blake Perryman of Northern State by a score of 10-8. Elwood gained a third period reversal to separate himself from Perryman and outlasted the Northern State wrestler to claim the title for the Mavericks.
George Farmah advanced to the national championships with a second-place finish in the 133-pound weight class. Farmah trailed no. 5 Hunter Haralson of Lindenwood in the quarterfinals before converting a six-point move to win in the final minute of the match by a 6-2 decision. In the championship match, Farmah could not capture a positive result over No. 4 Josh Walker of Upper Iowa, dropping the match by decision.
Zach Johnston advanced to the championship match of the 174-pound weight class after outlasting No. 7 Jordan Gundrum of Upper Iowa. Johnston and Gundrum wrestled to an 8-8 score after seven minutes with Johnston earning a final ride-time point to take the decision. Johnston would withdraw due to medical concerns before the championship match against No. 6 Nick Foster of Mckendree. Johnston would still leave St. Cloud with a second-place finish and a secured spot in the National Championships.
Corey Abernathy lost a narrow 4-3 decision in the quarterfinals against no. 7 Tyree Overton of St. Cloud State. Abernathy would have a challenging road ahead of him if he wanted to compete in the third-place match, as he would have to fight through the consolation bracket. Abernathy won a 11-4 decision over Keegan Berry of Minot State in the consolation semi-final match. He would then go onto defeat Dalton Hahn of Upper Iowa with a 5-3 decision in the 184-pound third-place match. Abernathy will be making his second consecutive appearance at nationals after finishing eighth just as season ago.
Matthew Blome finished the regional tournament with a 4-1 record and a third-place finish in the 197-pound weight class. Blome’s only loss came in the semifinal match against No. 4 Vince Dietz of St. Cloud State. Blome would bounce back with a 3-2 decision against Jackson Ryan of SMSU and earn a 7-1 decision over Samuel Reeves of Truman State in the third-place match. Blome will be making his second national championship appearance in his two seasons with the Mavericks.
As a team, Minnesota State finished the tournament in fourth-place with 95.5 points.
The Mavericks will compete in the NCAA Division II National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 9-10. The matches will be broadcasted on the NCAA app and NCAA.com.
Photo: (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)
