Contact: Matthew Eaker, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, mreaker@noctrl.edu 

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Brackets
Results

ROANOKE, VA. (Mar. 11, 2023) - The North Central College men's wrestling team turned in a fourth place finish at the NCAA Division III Men's Wrestling National Championships as Robert Precin claimed his second-straight National title while three wrestlers were named All-Americans. 

Augsburg University (101) claimed their 14th National Title as they outscored runner-ups Wartburg College (66.5) by 34.5 points. Baldwin Wallace University finished in third with 66 points and the Cardinals followed in fourth with 63.5 points, this is the first time the Cardinals have reached the podium as a team. UW-La Crosse rounded out the top-five with 61 points. 

"I am really proud of the way this team finished Saturday. We battled some adversity this weekend and we bounced back on day two in a positive way. Coming away with three All- American and a fourth place finish is a great way to end this season" said Head coach Zach Cook. 

Christian Guzman, a freshman from Miami, Fla, took on top-seeded Joziah Fry of Johnson & Wales University in the 125-pound semifinals bout and he would look to punch his ticket to the National finals in his first national tournament. However, Fry attacked Guzman and defeated him by a 21-3 technical fall to push Guzman into the consolation semifinals. Guzman took on seventh-seeded Mason Barrett of Averett University in the consolation semifinals and would defeat Barrett by a 4-0 decision to advance to the third place match. Guzman took on Jake Craig of the University of Southern Maine in the third place bout and defeated him by a 10-1 major decision to claim third place and earn All-American honors for the first time in his career. 

"Chip is the man. He's a freshman that won a regional title and finished in third place in his first national tournament. I'm so proud of him and can't wait for the next few years with him" said Cook. 

Robert Precin's quest to defend his 133-pound National Title kicked off with a matchup against unseeded Tyler Fleetwood of UW-Eau Claire. Precin would dominate Fleetwood, defeating him by a 6-2 decision to advance to his second-straight National Title match. In the Championship match, Precin would face sixth-seeded Dalton Rohrbaugh of York College (Pa.) and the two would battle throughout the three periods but Precin would hold off Rohrbaugh  to claim his second-straight 133-pound National Title. Precin is the first four-time All-American and two-time National Champion in program history. 

"Robbie has been the standard of this program the last four years. It is pretty special that he is the first two-time National Champion in program history and has led this program to its first team trophy is amazing" said Cook.

Javen Estrada knocked off the three seed last night  and looked to make the National finals with a win over second-seeded Hayden Brown of Johnson & Wales. Estrada trailed 2-1 and after a shot attempt by Brown, Estrada flipped the script and pinned Brown to send him to the National Championship bout. Estrada faced top-seeded Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace for the 149-pound National Title but Petrella overpowered Estrada and defeated him by a 10-4 decision. Estrada finished his sophomore season as the National Runner-up and earned All-American honors for the first time in his career. 

"I'm so proud of Javen. He bounced back from a 0-2 finish at last year's tournament and made the Finals. He works so hard and it really showed on the mat this weekend" said Cook. 

The Cardinals finish their season with a 15-3 dual meet record while claiming the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Dual meet and Tournament Titles. Cook led the Cardinals to their best finish in program history at the National Championships with three All-Americans, two National finalists and one National Champion. 

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