All-American junior wrestler Chris Healy (Jasper, IN/Jasper) will have the opportunity to participate at the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships for the second consecutive year after winning the 174-pound title at the Midwest Regional Tournament on Saturday. The Wabash team had its highest finish since 1986, taking second out of 13 teams at the event.
Healy went 4-0 for the day, recording a pin in his first match, followed by a technical fall against Thiel’s Matt Zakrajsek. An 11-4 decision in the semifinals put him the championship match against the number two seed, Matt Smith from Washington & Jefferson. Healy came away with a 14-5 major decision in the bout, earning a trip to Dubuque, Iowa this week for the Nationals at Loras College.
Wabash wrestlers Phu Hong (JR/Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence Central) and Adam Miller (JR/Pendleton, IN/Pendleton Heights) took third place finishes at the regional. Phu Hong entered the weekend as the fourth seed, but finished 3-1 for the day to take third at 125 pounds. His bouts included a 12-7 victory over the third seed in the tournament, Kefentse Mandisa from Olivet. His only loss was against the eventual champion of the weight class, Jim Fascetta from Millikin.
Miller was seeded sixth coming into the day, but put up a string of four consecutive wins after losing his opening match at 157 pounds to the third seed in the region, Tyler Hubert from Olivet. Miller came back after a 5-3 loss to Hubert to pick up two straight major decisions, then won 8-6 in the semifinals to advance to the third place bout. He would once again face Hubert, who had lost in the semifinals. This time Miller would come out on top to take third place.
Kevin Meyer (SO/Columbus, IN/Columbus North), Eric Slabaugh (FR/Tucson, AZ/Flowing Wells), Garrett Pino (FR/Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence North), and Will Clarke (FR/Indianapolis, IN/North Central) finished fourth in their respective weight classes. Meyer lost his opening match at 165 pounds, but responded with three consecutive wins before falling the finals to Mike Sanchez of Case Western Reserve. Slabaugh entered the meet unseeded at 133 pounds but opened with a 6-4 win over the fifth seed. After losing in the second round, he came back to pick up three win before losing 9-5 in the finals to the number four seed, Josh Kozuszek of Mount St. Joseph’s.
Pino, the fourth seed at 141 pounds, won two early matches before falling to the top seed in the semifinals. He defeated Adam Kravits in the consolation semis before falling 6-3 to the number two seed in the finals. Clarke entered the competition as the fifth seed at 197 pounds. He opened with a pin in his first match, then battled to a 4-1 win against fourth-seeded Jeff Wright from Olivet. He lost an 8-6 decision in the semifinals, then came back with an 8-6 win in the consolation semis before falling to the top seed in the final match.
Drew McCoy (JR/Cumberland, IN/New Palestine) and Keith Garrard (FR/New Castle, IN/New Castle Chrysler) finished fifth at 149 pounds and 184 pounds, respectively.
Wabash scored 114 points in the team competition, earning its highest finish at the regional since capturing second in 1987. Manchester won the competition with 122.5 points. Nationally-ranked Millikin was third with 110 points, followed by Olivet (81.5), Case Western Reserve (77.5), Thiel (72.5), and Mount St. Joseph (50.5). Waynesburg (40) was eighth, with MacMurray (38), Washington & Jefferson (37), Rose-Hulman (22.5), Baptist Bible of Pennsylvania (14.5), and Illinois College (0) rounding out the scoring.