PITTSBURGH, PA – Rider University wrestlers Jesse Dellavecchia (Great River, NY/East Islip) and Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) remain alive after Day 1 at the NCAA Wrestling Championship at PPG Paints Arena Thursday. Four Broncs qualified for nationals this season, with Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township) and Anthony Cefolo's (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park Regional) tournament runs coming to an end Thursday.

Dellavecchia started the day with a 9-2 decision over Navy's Tanner Skidgel to advance in the championship bracket. However, he then lost a major decision to third-seeded Josh Shields of Arizona State and will wrestle tomorrow out of the consolation bracket against West Virginia's Nick Kiussis, seeded 29^th.

Laird was one of the first wrestlers on the mat around noon and was one of the last wrestlers off the mat after 10 p.m. His day started with a sudden victory pigtail win over Chattanooga's Rod Jones, 4-2. That win set up a match with top-seeded Bo Nickal of Penn State, who pinned Laird at 2:34. In the consolation bracket, Laird and Drexel's Stephen Loiseau were scoreless through two periods, before Loiseau chose bottom and Laird immediately let him escape for the 1-0 lead. But with just over a minute remaining in the third, Laird get a takedown, four near fall points and held on for riding time for a 7-1 decision. Laird moves on to face Oklahoma's Jake Woodley, the 18^th seed, tomorrow.  

Sherry faced a tall task in defending National Champion Zahid Valencia of Arizona State, who took an 11-2 major decision in the opening round. Sherry then had to wrestle his way into the consolation bracket with a prelim win over Indiana's Jake Covaciu. With the match tied at 4-4 late in the third, Sherry got a takedown and turned it into a fall at 6:48. But Sherry's tournament would end with a hard-fought, 8-6 decision to Ohio State's Ethan Smith. Sherry nearly tied the match, but Smith was just barely able to prevent a takedown in the final minute.

Cefolo kept it close in his opening round match against sixth-seeded Ethan Lizak of Minnesota before falling, 3-1. In the consolation bracket, he immediately jumped out in front with a takedown of Campbell's Noah Gonser. But Gonser would score the final five points of the match to take an 8-3 decision, ending Cefolo's tournament.

Notes
- Cefolo, Dellavecchia and Laird were making their NCAA Championship debuts, while Sherry returned after qualifying last season.
- The wins were the first at NCAA's for Dellavecchia, Laird and Sherry.
- Laird defeated Jones for the second time this season, following a 13-5 major decision on Jan. 1 at the Southern Scuffle.
- Laird avenged a pair of losses to Loiseau last year by 12-4 and 7-0 margins.  

Individual Results
133 – #27 Anthony Cefolo
Round of 32 – Lost decision to #6 Ethan Lizak (Minnesota), 3-1
Consolation Rd. 1 – Lost decision to #22 Noah Gonser (Campbell), 8-3 (Cefolo eliminated)

165 – #14 Jesse Dellavecchia
Round of 32 – Won decision over #19 Tanner Skidgel (Navy), 9-2
Round of 16 – Lost major decision to #3 Josh Shields (Arizona State), 10-2
Consolation Rd. 2 – vs. #29 Nick Kiussis (West Virginia)  

174 – #30 Dean Sherry
Round of 32 – Lost major decision to #3 Zahid Valencia (Arizona State), 11-2
Consolation Prelims – WBF over #32 Jake Covaciu (Indiana), 6:48
Consolation Rd. 1 – Lost decision to #19 Ethan Smith (Ohio State), 8-6 (Sherry eliminated)

197 – #32 Ethan Laird
Prelims – Won decision over #33 Rod Jones (Chattanooga), 4-2 (SV-1)
Round of 32 – Lost by fall to #1 Bo Nickal (Penn State), 2:34
Consolation Rd. 1 – Won decision over #17 Stephen Loiseau (Drexel), 7-1
Consolation Rd. 2 – vs. #18 Jake Woodley (Oklahoma)