Men's Wrestling | 3/10/2016 11:05:00 AM

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
ITHACA, N.Y. — All season long, the Ithaca College wrestling team has been ranked among the nation's best, and this weekend, six student-athletes from the team will have the chance to compete for both an individual and a team national championship.

Ithaca is coming off an impressive victory in the NCAA Northeast Regionals, the Bombers' second straight regional championship.

The Bombers, ranked fifth in the country by D3wrestle.com and eighth in the country by the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA), scored 144 points to edge Roger Williams by 7.5 points for the team title.

A wrestler needed to place in the top three in the weight class to qualify for the NCAA championships, and the following Bombers will represent IC at nationals: sophomore Nick Velez (won the 165-pound weight class), sophomore Bryan Israel (second at 133), junior Carlos Toribio (second at 184), senior Dan Glinko (second at 285), junior Jimmy Kaishian (third at 125), and junior Nick Wahba (third at 141).

Ithaca posted a 16-5 record in duals this year, including going 16-4 vs. Division III foes, as the program enjoyed its most successful dual-meet record since the 2009-10 squad went 20-1.

Now comes the last challenge of the year for head coach Marty Nichols and his Bombers: the annual NCAA Division III national championship meet, which runs Friday through Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Kaishian will be making his third straight trip to NCAA's, while Velez (2015) and Toribio (2014) are going for the second time. The other Bombers are making their debut at the NCAA tournament.

"Winning an NCAA regional title definitely helped my confidence a lot," said Velez, unseeded, who brings a 34-6 record into competition, the second-most wins on the team behind only Kaishian.

"I see the NCAA's as just another tournament, and I just need to go out there and focus on doing what I need to do. I'm going there to win it, and if anyone is going to beat me they're going to have to wrestle their best. Even if I fall short of my goals I will have left it all on the mat."

It wasn't easy for Kaishian, Ithaca's co-captain, to clinch his spot at NCAA's. After losing his first match at regionals, Kaishian had to wrestle his way through the consolation bracket to have a shot at a repeat NCAA appearance. Kaishian won all five of his matches, including a 7-3 decision over Matt Morris (Williams) to cement his trip to Iowa.

"We all expect to be All-Americans and my goal has been and continues to be winning a national championship, both for the team and as an individual. That's what I'm setting out to do," said Kaishian, the sixth seed who brings a 40-5 record into NCAA's and led the team in wins.

"I definitely proved a lot to myself at regionals, losing that first match in overtime before battling back to get to the NCAA's. Something inside of me said this isn't over with, I'm going to bounce back and qualify for the NCAA's. Now that I'm here I want to become a national champion. We all have a bunch of coaches and role models on the team that help us out all the time."

Nichols, named the Northeast Regional Coach of the Year, was a three-time All-American at Ithaca and a national runner-up at NCAA's in 1990 as the Bombers won their second straight national championship.

Assistant coach Seth Ecker, the Assistant Coach of the Year, was a two-time national champion during his Ithaca career, while current assistant coaches Jules Doliscar and Alex Gomez were national finalists. Additionally, assistant coach Dave Auble helped lead the Bombers to three national titles during his first stint as a coach.

That experience with winning on the national stage has served these current student-athletes well in their pursuit of a team and individual national championship.

"My goals are to win a national championship and I have no less expectations than that," said Israel, the sixth seed who brings a 23-6 record with seven pins into the NCAA tournament.

"This tournament is just like any other tournament we've wrestled in, so I am going in with the same attitude. If I go in and wrestle like I know how to, I should be able to win. Our coaches have helped all of us with our training and practices. The right attitude is to go out there and capitalize on your opponents' mistakes while limiting your mistakes."

The top six finishers in each weight class earn All-American honors.

The event, hosted by Cornell College, will be live streamed at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/wrestling/d3, with live results at http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=218275009.

"Everyone on the team is really working hard and it is paying off," said Wahba, unseeded, who has gone 25-3 on the year.

"We're about to peak as a team. This weekend is what we've all been working for the whole season, and I think Coach Nichols does a great job in making sure that guys peak at this time. I feel pretty confident heading into NCAA's and I'm really looking forward to this tournament."

Heading into nationals, the Bombers are ranked No. 8 in the NWCA national rankings, and are ranked No. 6 in the NCAA tournament index team rankings, which is based on the number of wrestlers ranked in the top 10 nationally in their weight class. Ithaca has been ranked among the top 13 teams in the country for the entire 2015-16 season.

"Everything this year has been leading up to the NCAA's," said Toribio, the sixth seed who has gone 28-8 with 10 pins so far in 2015-16.

"The only goal we have is to become a national champion, and each of our guys has made a huge difference from the beginning of the season to now. We're in so much better shape and I'm pretty confident we can win the national title and have six All-Americans, or at least all of us place. We have nothing to lose but to just give our best and give it our all."

For Glinko, his first appearance in NCAA's will also be his last as he is one of the team's senior leaders. After he suffered a concussion during the season, Glinko wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to put on the singlet and represent IC again on the mat, but after recovering he was moved up to the heavyweight division and secured a berth at NCAA's thanks to a runner-up finish at regionals.

"This is one last shot for me to accomplish my dreams of being an All-American," said Glinko, unseeded, who is 18-10 with 10 pins this year.

"One of my biggest advantages is I'm probably the lightest guy in this weight class. Being able to move better and faster than the other guys is a key to my success, and I have a little bit more endurance. I will rely on my slick moves, my speed, and my endurance to see if I can wear out my opponents and score late in matches. That's where I excel."

The Bombers have competed in the Division III national championships 33 straight years, claiming championships in 1989, 1990, and 1994.

Two individuals earned All-American honors at NCAA's in 2015 as Ithaca has produced 20 All-Americans since 2010, and 108 in the proud history of Ithaca wrestling.

Ithaca's participants for the NCAA Division III championships, with 2015-16 record included in parentheses:
 
125: Jimmy Kaishian (40-5, five falls)
133: Bryan Israel (23-6, seven falls)
141: Nick Wahba (25-3, five major decisions, two falls)
165: Nick Velez (34-6, seven technical falls, nine major decisions, four falls)
184: Carlos Toribio (28-8, 10 falls, four major decisions, two technical falls)
285: Dan Glinko (18-10, 10 falls, two major decisions, two technical fall)