Four members of the Kent State Tuscarawas wrestling team have qualified for the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) National Championships in Dallas. The wrestlers placed in the top five of their weight class at the NCWA Great Lakes Regional held at the University of Toledo on Saturday to earn spots in the national event. Last year, six Navy and Gold grapplers made it to Dallas.
The first to qualify was freshman, Elijah Nash, from Canton McKinley High School, who finished third overall in the 125lb. weight class with an overall record of 3-1 in the regional tournament. Nash was followed by sophomore, Austin Bailey, from Northgate High School in Sharpsburg, Georgia who was 2-2 on the day to finish fifth at 157lb., while freshman, Collin Mancuso, from Edison High School in Milan, Ohio, matched Nash with a 3-1 wrestling record and took home a third-place finish in the 165lb. division.
Last year's United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) 149lb. champion, sophomore, Lane Householder, from Sheridan High School in Thornville, Ohio, did not wrestle due to a bout with strep throat, but was awarded a wild card spot in the NCWAs because of his overall ranking.
Nash, Bailey and Mancuso each earned All-American honors at the USCAA Wrestling Championships held last week in State College, PA, which gave them higher seeds in the Great Lakes Regional.
The Golden Eagles will now prepare for the NCWA Championships which begin on Thursday, March 14, 2019 in Dallas.
