(ADA, Ohio) – The Wilmington College wrestling team competed in day one of the NCAA Division III Central Regionals today at Ohio Northern University, with six wrestlers in action. The Quakers finished the day in 16th place out of 19 teams with 15.5 points.
Leading the Quakers was junior Caleb Tackett, competing in the 197-pound weight class. He finished his day 2-0 and wrestles in the semifinals tomorrow, with a chance to qualify for nationals. His opponent is Albion College's Demond Harrison. If Tackett wins, he qualifies for nationals no matter the outcome of the championship match, but a loss makes his road tougher. A loss puts him in the consolation bracket, where he must finish in third place to qualify.
After a bye, Tackett wrestled Case Western Reserve University's Aidan Gassel, and won by fall in four minutes and 44 seconds. The quarterfinals saw him face fellow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) competitor Bryce McCloskey of the University of Mount Union. He battled past McCloskey by 6-3 decision to set up his semifinal matchup with Harrison.
In his Quakers debut, Trevor Addison picked up a win at heavyweight, finishing his day 1-2. He lost to John Carroll University's Thomas Lunt by 8-2 decision in his first match. Addison followed this with a victory by fall in three minutes and 28 seconds against Alma College's Brody Miskimon to stay alive. However, a loss to Muskingum University's Noah Dehainaut by major decision in the following round saw his tournament end.
The 157-pound weight class saw Tannar Beerman in action for Wilmington. He finished 0-2, losing by fall to Wabash College's Tim Smith and by a tight 5-3 decision against Mount Union's Nick Nettleton.
Garrett Simmons competed in the 165-pound bracket for Wilmington and finished 0-2. He lost by fall to both Teagan Hendricks of Ohio Northern University and Lakin Webb of Trine University.
174 pounds saw Alexander Ruth wrestle for Wilmington. He dropped a tech. fall in his first match against Mount Union's David Reinhart before losing by fall to Otterbein University's Logan Cormell to end his tournament.
The final Quaker in action was Cooper Rack at 184 pounds. He dropped both his matches by fall to Adrian College's Dylan Wellbaum and Albion College's Garrett Iobe.
Rylan Hurst was scheduled to compete at 149 pounds for Wilmington but was forced to forfeit both his matches due to injury.
What's Up Next
Caleb Tackett returns to the mats for Wilmington tomorrow in the semifinals. He is looking to be the first Quakers wrestler to qualify for nationals since the return of the program during the 2018-19 season. The action is scheduled to begin at 11:00 A.M.
