RESULTS

ERIE, Pa. – Graduate student Joe Calderone became a four-time national qualifier by capturing the Super Region I title at the 141-pound weight class at the regional championships at Mercyhurst University on Saturday, Feb. 23.
 
Calderone was the lone national qualifier for LIU Post, advancing to the national championship meet in two weeks in Cleveland, Ohio. Three other Pioneers placed at the championship, with freshman Chris Gomez taking fourth at 149 and junior Mark Malico placing fifth at 197, while senior Dan Arkow and junior Dan McClure finished sixth at 165 and 197, respectively.
 
125 – Brandon Mercado
 
After advancing via a bye in the first round of the championship bracket, Mercado fell to sixth-ranked Derrick Christie of Seton Hill. Following another bye in the second round of the consolation bracket, Mercado suffered a three-point loss to Shippensburg's Corbin Hopkins.
 
133 – Jacob Zuller
 
A matchup with third-ranked Ryan McGuire was too much for Zuller in the first round, as McGuire earned a 16-1 victory. Zuller advanced to the third round of the consolation bracket through a bye. Zuller drew fifth-ranked Matthew Siszka of Pitt-Johnstown but ultimately suffered an 8-1 decision loss.
 
141 – Joe Calderone
 
Calderone advanced to the quarterfinals via a bye in the first round and stormed through the competition for a 3-0 record on the day. An 8-1 decision against Gannon's Nick Young propelled the grad student into the semifinals. In a tight semifinal battle with third-ranked Dylan Nace (East Stroudsburg), Calderone pulled ahead late and held on for a 5-3 victory to set up a rematch with Pitt-Johnstown's Joey Alessandro, the top-ranked wrestler in the region. Alessandro had previously handed Calderone his only Division II loss of the season on Jan. 19, but Calderone got the best of Alessandro on Saturday, earning a pinfall victory during the third period to capture the title.
 
149 – Chris Gomez
 
Gomez opened his day with a 12-4 victory against Shippensburg's Colton Babcock to advance to the quarterfinals. The freshman drew the third-ranked wrestler, Faris Messai (Gannon) and was dropped to the consolation bracket via pinfall during the first period. Gomez bounced back with a pinfall victory of his own in the second round of the consolation bracket, defeating East Stroudsburg's Pierre Liciaga just 37 seconds into the second period. A one-point victory during the third round helped Gomez advance to the consolation semifinal round. The run continued for Gomez, as he took down fourth-ranked Mike Clark (Mercyhurst) by a 9-4 decision to reach the third-place bout. During the qualifying bout, Gomez took Messai the distance, but ultimately suffered an 8-3 loss to come up one spot short of the national championships.
 
157 – Ed Ramirez, Jr.
 
Following a first round bye, Ramirez fell to the consolation bracket in the quarterfinals. The graduate student bounced back with an overtime victory against Shippensburg's Drake Brenize, but ultimately came two points short against Baltazar Gonzalez (AIC) (11-9) in the third round.
 
165 – Dan Arkow
 
After cutting down to 165 for the regional championship, Arkow advanced to the quarterfinals via a bye before facing third=ranked Devin Austin (Pitt-Johnstown), falling by a 5-2 decision. The sixth-ranked Arkow bounced back with consecutive decision victories during rounds two and three of the consolation bracket to reach the consolation semifinals. After drawing fourth-ranked Connor Rogovitch (Kutztown), Arkow came up short in a high-scoring affair (15-10) to drop into the fifth-place bout. Despite outscoring East Stroudsburg's Richard Viruet, 2-0 during the third period, Arkow came up one point short (7-6) to settle for a sixth-place finish at 165.
 
174 – James Langan
 
After suffering a loss in the first round to second-ranked Michael Raccioppi, Langan advanced to the third round of the consolation bracket with a 13-1 victory against American International's Ahmad Sharif. During the third round, Langan was upended by Gannon's Anthony Williamson, as Williamson earned a two-point takedown in overtime to earn a 7-5 win.
 
184 – Dan McClure
 
McClure's first bout of the day came during the quarterfinal round against Gannon's Joel Leise and McClure suffered a 7-5 setback to drop to the consolation bracket. After rattling off two victories during rounds two and three, McClure was stymied by Nathan Bowlen (Seton Hill), giving him one more opportunity in the fifth-place bout. A rematch against Leise for fifth place did not fare any better for McClure who settled for a sixth-place showing at the regional championship.
 
197 – Mark Malico
 
Despite a setback in the opening round to third-ranked Freddie Nixon (Gannon), Malico advanced to the consolation semifinals with a shutout victory against Nicholas Klinoff (East Stroudsburg). The victory during the third round set up a rematch with Nixon. After finishing tied 1-1 at the end of regulation, Nixon claimed the deciding points with a takedown during the first overtime period. Malico bounced back to take down fourth-ranked Jody Crouse (Seton Hill) by a 7-1 final to place fifth.
 
285/Hwt – Tim Nagosky
 
Nagosky grappled with Tyler Oliver (Pitt-Johnstown) in his opening bout of the day but fell 6-0 to drop to the consolation bracket. After a bye advanced him to the second round, Nagosky fell to fifth-ranked Jake Beistel of Seton Hill during a first-period pinfall.
 
Calderone will look to capture his third All-America accolade at the NCAA Division II Championships in two weeks and will look to become the second national champion in program history. A full preview of his pursuit will be available the week of the event.