Photo by: Ryan Meyer
NCAA Wrestling Championships Session III: Poznanski, Rivera Advance to Semifinals
Mar 19 | Wrestling
Ā ST. LOUIS ā No. 3 seed Sebastian Rivera (141) and No. 6 seed John Poznanski (184) advanced to championship semifinal bouts and clinched All-America accolades in their respective weight classes as Rutgers wrestling finished Friday morning action at the 2021 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Both will wrestle tonight live on ESPN (8 p.m. ET) for chances to become national finalists.
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Rivera gets a Big Ten Conference rematch with No. 2 seed Nick Lee (Penn State) in his semifinal match, while Poznanski faces No. 2 seed Trent Hidlay (NC State) in the 184-pound semifinals. No. 26 seed Jackson Turley (174) delivered back-to-back wrestleback wins by bonus and draws No. 6 seedĀ Andrew McNally (Kent State)Ā in his consolation bout, needing one win to clinch All-America accolades.
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The wins for Poznanski and Rivera in their respective quarterfinal bouts mean the program has produced multiple national semifinalists for the second consecutive NCAA Championships under head coach Scott Goodale, as Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano did so in 2019 en route to their NCAA titles. With RU's four wins during Session III, the program vaultedĀ into the top 10 of the team standings, as itĀ sits in 10th with 27Ā team points.
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Poznanski wrestled a thriller against No. 3 seed Lou DePrez (Binghamton) to clinch All-America status. Down 2-1 and bottom in the second period, Poznanski worked a reversal and rode out DePrez for a 3-2 lead. DePrez landed another takedown, but Poznanski escaped to tie 4-4. DePrez then almost landed another two-pointer, but the ruling on the mat confirmed no takedown, as the score held 4-4 with 25 seconds to go. With a neutral start, Poznanski caught DePrez on his back for a takedown and two-point nearfall for an 8-4 decision.
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Rivera also battled in his quarterfinal bout with No. 6 seed Allan Hart (Missouri), as Rivera countered Hart's first takedown with one of his own for a 3-2 lead after one. The Toms River, New Jersey, native then used another takedown in the second and rode out Hart in the third for his 7-3 decision, collecting four minutes of riding time in the process.
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Turley faced No. 9 seed Donnell Washington (Indiana) and exploded hit three near falls en route to a 14-point first period. Turley then iced the tech fall with a reversal in the second period to advance in the consolation bracket. Turley followed against No. 17 seed Benjamin Pasiuk (Army) and pinned him in the first period to advance to the blood round.
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Session IV of the NCAA Wrestling Championships begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN3.
141: (3) Sebastian Rivera (3-0)
149: (10) Michael VanBrill (0-2)
174: (26) Jackson Turley (3-1)
184: (6) John Poznanski (3-0)
197: (33) Billy Janzer (1-2)
Ā
Rivera gets a Big Ten Conference rematch with No. 2 seed Nick Lee (Penn State) in his semifinal match, while Poznanski faces No. 2 seed Trent Hidlay (NC State) in the 184-pound semifinals. No. 26 seed Jackson Turley (174) delivered back-to-back wrestleback wins by bonus and draws No. 6 seedĀ Andrew McNally (Kent State)Ā in his consolation bout, needing one win to clinch All-America accolades.
Ā
The wins for Poznanski and Rivera in their respective quarterfinal bouts mean the program has produced multiple national semifinalists for the second consecutive NCAA Championships under head coach Scott Goodale, as Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano did so in 2019 en route to their NCAA titles. With RU's four wins during Session III, the program vaultedĀ into the top 10 of the team standings, as itĀ sits in 10th with 27Ā team points.
Ā
Poznanski wrestled a thriller against No. 3 seed Lou DePrez (Binghamton) to clinch All-America status. Down 2-1 and bottom in the second period, Poznanski worked a reversal and rode out DePrez for a 3-2 lead. DePrez landed another takedown, but Poznanski escaped to tie 4-4. DePrez then almost landed another two-pointer, but the ruling on the mat confirmed no takedown, as the score held 4-4 with 25 seconds to go. With a neutral start, Poznanski caught DePrez on his back for a takedown and two-point nearfall for an 8-4 decision.
Ā
Rivera also battled in his quarterfinal bout with No. 6 seed Allan Hart (Missouri), as Rivera countered Hart's first takedown with one of his own for a 3-2 lead after one. The Toms River, New Jersey, native then used another takedown in the second and rode out Hart in the third for his 7-3 decision, collecting four minutes of riding time in the process.
Ā
Turley faced No. 9 seed Donnell Washington (Indiana) and exploded hit three near falls en route to a 14-point first period. Turley then iced the tech fall with a reversal in the second period to advance in the consolation bracket. Turley followed against No. 17 seed Benjamin Pasiuk (Army) and pinned him in the first period to advance to the blood round.
Ā
Session IV of the NCAA Wrestling Championships begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN3.
141: (3) Sebastian Rivera (3-0)
| First Round | (30) Dylan D'Emilio (Ohio State) | W-D, 8-1 |
| Second Round | (14) Dylan Duncan (Illinois) | W-D, 10-4 |
| Quarterfinals | (6) Allan Hart (Missouri) | W-D, 7-3 |
| Semifinals | (2) Nick Lee (Penn State) | Fri., 8 p.m. ET |
149: (10) Michael VanBrill (0-2)
| First Round | (23) Tristan Lara (Northern Iowa) | L-D, 12-7 |
| Cons. Rd. 1 | (26) Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois) | L-D, 8-4 |
174: (26) Jackson Turley (3-1)
| First Round | (7) Kaleb Romero (Ohio State) | L-D, 7-2 |
| Cons. Rd. 1 | (23) Anthony Mantanona (Oklahoma) | W-Fall (2:20) |
| Cons. Rd. 2 | (9) Donnell Washington (Indiana) | W-TF, 16-1 |
| Cons. Rd 3 | (17)Ā Benjamin Pasiuk (Army) | W-Fall (2:10) |
| Cons. Rd 4 | (6) Andrew McNally (Kent State) | Fri., 8 p.m. ET |
184: (6) John Poznanski (3-0)
| First Round | (27) Taylor Brown (Army) | W-MD, 14-2 |
| Second Round | (11) Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State) | W-D, 7-3 |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Lou Deprez (Binghamton) | W-D, 8-4 |
| Semifinals | (2) Trent Hidlay (NC State) | Fri., 8 p.m. ET |
197: (33) Billy Janzer (1-2)
| Pigtail | (32) Logan Andrews (Chattanooga) | W-D, 8-6 |
| First Round | (1) Myles Amine (Michigan) | L-MD ,8-0 |
| Cons. Rd. 1 | (17) JT Brown (Army) | L-D, 5-3 |
Players Mentioned
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