MEQUON, Wis. (blugolds.com) — Three University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestlers advanced the NCAA Championships at the Upper Midwest Regional on Saturday at Concordia University Wisconsin. Jared Stricker (So. - Ashland, Wis.) was the regional champion at 174 pounds, and Tyler Fleetwood (Jr. - Fulton, Ill.) and Tristan Massie (Jr. - Hillsdale, Wis./Barron) also punched their tickets to nationals. Overall, the Blugolds finished third in the team standings.
Stricker and Fleetwood will be making their second trips to the NCAA Championships, while this will be Massie's debut at nationals. Stricker won the 174 pound weight class at regionals, Fleetwood took second at 133 pounds and Massie placed third at 165.
Stricker booked his trip to nationals by winning his semifinal to start the day on Saturday. He edged Augsburg's Seth Goetzinger by 6-4 decision to advance to the finals, and won the championship by medical forfeit. He enters the NCAA Championships with a 42-2 record this season.
Fleetwood also earned his spot at nationals by winning his semifinal. He controlled the match and earned a 7-2 decision over University of Chicago's Griffin Seyfried to move on to the finals. He fell in a narrow 3-1 decision to UW-Whitewater's Dominik Mallinder in the regional championship. Fleetwood will carry a 34-6 record into nationals.
Massie fell via pin in the 165-pound semifinals, but kept his season alive with a pair of wins in the consolation bracket to finish third. He won a consolation semifinal by 7-4 decision over UW-Platteville's Coy Ruess, and won the third-place match in thrilling fashion. Massie defeated UW-Whitewater's Ryan Vedner by 3-1 sudden victory to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. Massie enters nationals with a 36-7 record.
The Blugolds had four other placewinners on Saturday. Chase Melton (Sr. - Spooner, Wis.) and Zach Sato (So. - Oswego, Ill.) took fourth place at 285 pounds and 149 pounds, respectively. Sato fell by third-period fall in the semifinals, but recovered with a 13-1 major decision in the consolation semis to advance to the third-place match. He fell to UW-La Crosse's Tyler Goebel by 9-7 decision to finish fourth.
Melton battled but fell in a 3-2 decision in the 285-pound semifinals. He responded with a 7-1 victory over UW-Platteville's Brett Schoenherr in the consolation semis. Melton fell by 8-3 decision to University of Chicago's Cole Fibranz in the third-place match.
Carter Schulz (Fr. - Rice Lake, Wis.) placed fifth at 125 pounds. He advanced to the consolation semifinals with a 9-2 decision victory, but fell in the semifinals by 7-4 decision. He won the fifth-place match by medical forfeit.
UW-Eau Claire had three wrestlers place sixth: Drew Kested (Fr. - Sterling, Ill.), Niall Schoenfelder (So. - Antioch, Ill.) and Sam Melton (Jr. - Shell Lake, Wis./Spooner). Kested finished sixth at 141 pounds. He won his consolation quarterfinal by 8-4 decision, but took an 11-2 major decision defeat in the semis. He dropped the fifth-place match in an 8-3 decision.
Schoenfelder wrestled in the 184-pound semifinals, where he fell in a 2-0 decision. Another 2-0 defeat in the consolation semifinals sent him to the fifth-place match, where he gave a medical forfeit.
Sam Melton opened his day with a 3-1 sudden victory in the consolation quarterfinals. He fell by first-period pin in the consolation semis, and fell by 15-6 major decision in the fifth-place match.
The Blugolds tallied 128.5 team points. Augsburg won the regional title with 176 points and UW-La Crosse was second with 142.5 points.
Stricker, Fleetwood and Massie will head to the NCAA Championships from March 10-11. The competition will be held at Ferrum College in Roanoke, Va.
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