NCAA Mideast Regional Portal
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The third-ranked Ithaca College wrestling team is set to host an NCAA Regional Qualifier for the first time since the 2010-11 season this coming weekend when it plays host to the newly realigned Mideast Region on Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25. The Bombers will have 10 grapplers on the mats this weekend inside Glazer Arena, at Ithaca College's Athletics & Events Center, looking to punch tickets to next month's NCAA Division III Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
Tournament Info
Dates: Saturday, February 24, 2018 – Sunday, February 25, 2018
Times: Saturday (Doors Open to Public at 10:00 a.m.) | Sunday (Doors Open to Public at 9:15 a.m.)
Location: Glazer Arena | Athletics & Events Center – 953 Danby Road Ithaca, NY 14850
 
Media Coverage
Live Track | Live Stream | Twitter
Meet Portal | Program (PDF)
* Note that all streaming will be provided through TrackWrestling (PPV) service. Navigate to the Live Stream link: CLICK HERE, for more information on how you can purchase streaming access for this event.
 
Ticket Information
$6 – Adults
$4 – Students/Senior Citizens (IC Students Free w/ ID)
$2 – Children 12 and Under
Free – Children 2 and Under
 
Additional Information
Be sure to visit the meet portal for more information on this weekend's event: CLICK HERE.
 
About the Region
This weekend brings NCAA Wrestling Regional Qualifying back to South Hill for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Beginning in the 2012-13 season, the NCAA Championships Committee adopted its current format of Regional Qualifying Tournaments to determine berths to the NCAA Division III National Championships. Prior to that time, bids to the national tournament were decided by respective conference championship events, specifically for Ithaca the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) Championships. Ithaca hosted the penultimate ECWC Tournament that was used to determine bids near the conclusion 2010-11 campaign.
 
After the NCAA adopted the current format, Ithaca was placed in the Northeast Region, in which it had competed for the past five seasons up until this year. The NCAA Wrestling Championships Committee formally signed documents for regional realignment this past fall, shifting Ithaca, as well as other ECWC programs in SUNY Cortland, Oswego State and SUNY Oneonta into the Mideast Region. The realignment was approved this past September.
 
This weekend will mark the first time that Ithaca will be hosting NCAA Regional Qualifying in the current format.
 
Weekend Goals
Ithaca will have 10 total grapplers on the mats this weekend at A&E. IC will have one wrestler competed in each of the 10 weight classes. The goal for the Bombers is to qualify as many wrestlers to the National Championships as possible.
 
In order to qualify for the National Championships, wrestlers must finish in the Top-3 places this weekend. Ithaca has qualified six grapplers for the NCAA National Championships in each of the past two seasons.
 
The Lineup
125 LB | Ferdinand Mase (Jr.) – 25-4 overall record; 12-1 dual record
133 LB | Tito Colom (So.) – 25-13 overall record; 11-5 dual record
141 LB | #5/4 Ben Brisman (So.) – 30-4 overall record; 15-1 dual record
149 LB | Demetri D'Orsaneo (Jr.) – 11-10 overall record; 1-3 dual record
157 LB | #9 Austin Whitney (Jr.) – 20-4 overall record; 11-1 dual record
165 LB | #4/3 Nick Velez (Sr.) – 29-4 overall record; 14-2 dual record
174 LB | #8 Jaison White (Sr.) – 27-8 overall record; 11-1 dual record
184 LB | #1/1 Jake Ashcraft (Jr.) – 31-3 overall record; 16-0 dual record
197 LB | Dymir Davis-Carruth (Fr.) – 11-9 overall record; 4-1 dual record
285 LB | #2/2 Jake O'Brien (Jr.) – 23-4 overall record; 13-2 dual record
 
Bomber Bites

• Ithaca enters the weekend after a dominant run through its dual meet schedule. IC posted a 14-2 record on the year, with the only losses coming against NCAA Division I NC State and current Division III No. 1-ranked Wartburg.
• Ithaca has won eight straight duals dating back to the loss to Wartburg in the Semifinal Round of the NWCA National Duals on January 5^th.
• The Bombers took home the program's fifth consecutive Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) title on January 20^th. It was the 13^th ECWC title in the team's history.
• IC's third-place finish at both the New York State Intercollegiate Championships and the NWCA National Duals were the highest finishes the team has posted at the two respective events in program history.
• The Bombers currently have six wrestlers ranked by either one or both major national ranking outlets in the NWCA and d3wrestle.com. Four of those are unanimous Top-5 grapplers in Ben Brisman (5^th NWCA | 4^th d3wrestle.com), Nick Velez (4^th NWCA | 3^rd d3wrestle.com), Jake Ashcraft (1^st NWCA | 1^st d3wrestle.com), and Jake O'Brien (2^nd NWCA | 2^nd d3wrestle.com). Additionally, Austin Whitney (9^th NWCA) and Jaison White (8^th NWCA) are ranked by the NWCA.
• Ashcraft currently ranks first on the NCAA's ranking of the most dominant wrestler pound-for-pound in the country. The IC junior currently accounts for 5.24 average team points per bout, the only wrestler in the country to eclipse the 5.00-point threshold on the year in Division III.
• Ashcraft has won 20 consecutive bouts dating back to the NYS Collegiate Championships in November. He has only lost one match to a Division III foe this season, that occurring to Oswego State's Jordan Bushey in the Championship Round of the Ithaca Invitational on opening weekend.
• Ashcraft's 21 falls are most on the team, while he currently ranks fifth in the country with 16 falls against strictly Division III competition. His other five pins have come against NCAA Division I or JUCO competition.
• Brisman enters the weekend with a 13-bout win streak dating back to National Duals. He has lost just once against Division III competition this season.
• Colom has been doing some of his best wrestling of the year down the stretch. He has won four straight and six of his past seven bouts entering the weekend. He has scored bonus points in five of those victories with two falls and three tech falls during that stretch.
• Davis-Carruth has split time at 197-pounds this season, entering the weekend on a two-match win streak, which included a 17-6 major decision over Wilkes grappler Nasser McCummings his last time out.
• D'Orsaneo returned to the lineup following an over two-month absence in the Bombers' dominant 46-0 victory over SUNY Cortland at the Rumble & Tumble Meet. He scored a 7-2 decision over Matt Norris of the Red Dragons. The win snapped a streak of four straight losses for the Bombers at that weight in dual-meet competition.
• Mase enters the weekend on an 11-bout winning streak, while he is 18-2 in his last 20 matches dating back December. During his 11-bout run he has posted three falls and four tech falls. He is on the cusp of being ranked in both polls.
• O'Brien enters the weekend the winner of seven consecutive bouts and 21-of-22 overall. His only loss at the Division III level this season came in a 2-1 decision to Wartburg's unanimous No. 1-ranked Lance Evans at National Duals. O'Brien two unanimous Top-5 nationally-ranked grapplers in James Bethel (SUNY Oneonta) and Isaiah Bellamy (Wesleyan) earlier this month at the Wesleyan Quad Duals.
• O'Brien qualified to the National Tournament with a Runner-Up finish at last year's NCAA Regional. He went on to notch NCAA All-American standing with an eighth-place finish at 285-pounds.
• Velez enters the weekend the winner of 11 straight bouts and is 23-2 in his last 25 matches overall. He has fallen only twice to Division III competition this season. He comes into the weekend red-hot with six falls, two technical falls and one major decision over his active 11-bout win streak.
• Velez has qualified for the NCAA National Championships each of the past two seasons and will look to make it three consecutive trips with a strong performance this weekend.
• White enters the weekend on a seven-bout win streak and is 17-3 over his last 20 appearances overall. During his current winning streak, White has posted five major decision wins.
• White qualified for the NCAA National Championships for the first time in his career last season, winning the 174-pound title at the NCAA Northeast Regionals. He will look to make a second consecutive trip to the National Championships with a strong performance this weekend.