Six Bears reach regional wrestling semis
Coast Guard is second after first day of NCAA Div. III Northeast tourney
Providence — Coast Guard Academy advanced six wrestlers to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional wrestling tournament on Saturday.
The Bears, ranked 18th nationally, are in second place heading into Sunday's final day with 66.5 points. Johnson & Wales leads with 91.5 points.
Christian Gosch (157 pounds), All-American Nick Remke (165), NCAA qualifier A.J. Aeberli (174), Paul Detwiler (184), NCAA qualifier Jon Wagner (197) and Patrick Irwin (heavyweight) all won two matches to reach Sunday's semifinals while J.D. Fitzpatrick (141) will wrestle in the consolation quarterfinals.
Coast Guard sent a program-best four wrestlers to the 2018 NCAA Division III Championship (two became All-Americans), and all six semifinalists can guarantee themselves a trip to the nationals by reaching the finals.
Semifinal losers can still qualify by bouncing back with two wins to place third (the top three in each weight class automatically qualify), while Fitzpatrick must win three matches on Sunday to earn a trip to the nationals, which will be held in two weeks in Roanoke, Va.
Gosch advanced with an 11-1 win over Rhode Island College's Zach Ford and a 6-1 win over Roger Williams' Jack Kelly in the quarters. He will face Western New England's Ryan Monteiro in the semis.
Remke pinned RIC's Tim Caplan (2:42) in the first round and beat WPI's Brendan Marion 6-3 in the quarters. He will face NYU's James Murdoch in the semis.
Aerberli opened with an 8-1 win over Western New England's Davey Goodall, beat Dan Curran 8-4 in the quarters and will face Tariq Grissom of Williams in the semis.
Detwiler pinned Norwich's Stephen Birganti in 5:52 in the first round and decisioned Castleton's Jason Hoffman 16-5 in the quarters. He will face Khamari Thomson of Johnson & Wales in the semis.
Wagner posted a 10-2 win over Bridgewater's Daniel MacNeil in the first round and a 3-1 decision over WPI's Michael Curtis in the quarters. He will wrestle NYU's Jack LaCorte in the semis.
Irwin will wrestle Roger Williams' Adam Patson in semis after pinning Norwich's Ronnie Caudill in three minutes and earning an 18-3 technical fall over Johnson & Wales' Tommy Wresien in the quarters.