The draw for Greg Rhoads' first trip to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships was not favorable, placing the Wabash junior up against the second-seeded wrestler at the 184-pound weight class. Rhoads made the most of his opportunity before dropping to the consolation portion of the bracket after a 7-3 loss on the first day.
Rhoads wrestled Ben Engelland from Wisconsin-Stevens Point, who entered the match with a 22-1 overall record. Rhoads trailed 2-1 after the first period before Engelland scored an escape and a takedown in period two for a 5-1 lead. A takedown for Rhoads early in the third period closed the gap to 5-3, but Engelland managed to escape and add an extra point for riding time to take the four-point victory.
Rhoads will return to action Friday evening in the consolation bracket against Mitch Artist from Wisconsin-La Crosse, the host school for the 2011 tournament. Artist lost 9-1 to seventh-seeded Josef Rau from Elmhurst in the first round.