DEKALB, IL –
Jesse Dellavecchia (Great River, NY/East Islip [Binghamton]) and
Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) advanced the title bouts at 157 and 197 lbs., respectively, and the Rider University wrestling team sits fourth following Day 1 at the MAC Championships, hosted by Northern Illinois. With their success already and the MAC's allocation of NCAA Qualifiers, Dellavecchia and Laird have both punched their tickets to NCAA's.
Four other Broncs –
Jonathan Tropea (Harrington Park, NJ/Saint Joseph (Montvale)),
Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township),
George Walton (Franklin, NJ/Bound Brook) and
Ryan Cloud (Brookville, OH/Northmont) also remain in the hunt for NCAA Qualifiers through the consolation brackets at 125, 174, 184 and 285 lbs., respectively.
In the team scoring, the Broncs rank fourth with 66.5 points. Missouri leads the field with 112.5 points, ahead of Central Michigan (86.0), Northern Illinois (67.5) and the Broncs. Lock Haven (54.5), Cleveland State (50.0), Old Dominion (48.5), Kent State (43.0), Buffalo (41.0), Edinboro (39.0) and Clarion (33.5) round out the tournament field.
Notes
- Dellavecchia and Laird are both making their second-straight trips to the conference title match. Dellavecchia fell last year to Lock Haven All-American Chance Marsteller, while Laird took the EWL title over George Mason's Eli Spencer.
- Dellavecchia faces Missouri's Jarrett Jacques in the final at 157 lbs. The two wrestlers have not squared off.
- Laird will face Clarion's Greg Bulsak in the final at 197 lbs. Bulsak has won two prior meetings with Laird by decision.
- Sherry, Walton and Cloud each won a pair of matches before falling in the semifinals.
- Tropea was defeated in his first match of the day before winning two consolation matches to stay alive.
- The 2020 MAC Wrestling Championships conclude on Sunday, March 8 beginning at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT from the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University. Sunday's schedule begins with consolation quarterfinals at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT and consolation semifinals at 1:45 p.m. ET/12:45 p.m. CT, followed by Championship Finals at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT.
