Wilkes University Colonels Wrestling
Wilkes University Colonels Wrestling
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Published on March 12th by Associate Head Men's Coach, Pankil Chander
Colonels set for NCAA DIII Championships in Providence, Rhode Island
Next up: Cam Butka and Caleb Burkhart make their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships in the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Friday, March 14th & Saturday, March 15th!
Caleb Burkhart and Cameron Butka both earned their second consecutive NCAA berth by picking up three straight victories in the NCAA Region II Championships, including semi-final wins to advance to the regional championship final and guarantee their bid to the national tournament!
Butka picked up bonus point wins over Aaron Johnson of Alfred State and Braydon Vandenberg of St. John Fisher before earning a 5-0 win over Nick Woodruff of Penn College in the semi-finals. Butka would go on to earn a 10-3 decision over Blaise Wagner of Stevens to capture his second 197lb NCAA Regional crown.
Burkhart picked up a fall over two-time NCAA Qualifier Nick Franco of Brockport to advance to the championship final.
Brackets Released: Outlook on NCAA Championships
Cam Butka, a returning NCAA All-American and now 2x NCAA Regional Champion earned the No. 2 seed in the 197lbs bracket and set to square off with Bryce McCloskey of Mount Union in the round of 16.
Caleb Burkhart returns to his second consecutive national tournament at heavyweight and will square off with Myles Johnson of Ohio Northern in the round of 32 to kick off the NCAA Championships.
Action begins at 10am on Friday, March 14th!
BUTKA & BURKHART PREVIEW NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Wilkes earns NCAA Region II Team Trophy
After a full weekend of action at the NCAA Region II Championships, the Colonels earned a third place team finish to become a trophy team and will head to the NCAA Championships with two NCAA Qualifiers.
With only the top three teams earning a team trophy, Wilkes outpaced two national top 25 tournament teams, including a top ten team to earn the team honor led by 2x 197lbs NCAA Regional Champion, Cam Butka.
Caleb Burkhart followed behind Butka and secured his second straight NCAA berth with a runner-up finish at heavyweight.
Wilkes put five others on the regional podium by way of Connor Kerwin, Ryan Santiago, Jaryn Hartranft, Caleb Lawrence, and Chris Nuss.
Kerwin, Santiago, Hartranft, Lawrence, and Nuss earn NCAA All-Region Honors
In addition to our pair of national qualifiers, Jaryn Hartranft and Chris Nuss earned their third consecutive regional medal while Kerwin, Santiago, and Lawrence stood on the regional podium for the first time.
Burkhart leads DIII in pins heading into NCAA Championships
Burkhart leads DIII in pins heading into NCAA Championships
On March 5th's NCAA release of the most updated standings for the most falls in least amount of time, Caleb Burkhart is the new leader in Division III with 22 pins against Division III opponents in 48:06 leading into the NCAA Championships.
Burkhart is 39-7 on the season and 17-1 in duals. The senior won a title at the Shenandoah Invite, and medaled at the Ned McGinley Invite, Blue Jay Classic, Wilkes Open and Pete Wilson Invite, and finished as NCAA Region II Runner-up.
The Wilkes University men's and women's wrestling programs are set to host a prospect clinic for wrestlers in 9th-12th grade Saturday, March 22 and Saturday, April 5.
These one day clinics hosted by the Wilkes University's provides an opportunity to gain exposure to the storied Wilkes wrestling program.
$50 for the clinic
Schedule
9:30 - 10 a.m. | Check-in at the lobby of the Marts Center
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. | College Style Wrestling Training Session
12 - 12:30 p.m. | Locker rooms available for showers
12:30 - 2 p.m. | Campus and athletic facilities tour
New Episode with Colonel NCAA Champion, Matt Grossmann available now!
The ColonelCast will continue to feature guests on the podcast and share more impactful stories on Colonel Wrestling!
If you have any suggestions of guests to feature, please send an email with your recommendation to pankil.chander@wilkes.edu
Listen in now to these incredibly accomplished Colonels and their journey to greatness and insights acquired along the way!
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