LIVE COVERAGE
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – At last, the wrestling postseason has arrived, and March Matness is knocking on the door. The Ithaca College wrestling team will be doing battle inside the Bowers Center Field House in Elizabethtown, Pa. on Feb. 26-27 in the Mideast Regional Championships with NCAA Division III Championship berths on the line.
 
Head coach Marty Nichols has led his team to three consecutive regional titles dating back to the 2017-18 season, sending at least six or more wrestlers to the national tournament each year over that span. In order to keep the streak alive, IC will fight for a team trophy against a handful of other high-caliber Division III programs including TCNJ and RIT.
 
The Mideast Regional tournament preview below is a weight-by-weight breakdown that takes an in-depth look at every Bomber competing this weekend.
 
125 LB: Matt Griffin
Griffin has been a prominent storyline for the wrestling team after battling a knee injury through the bulk of the season and quickly emerging into the national spotlight at 125. The Bomber senior has compiled a 12-4 record and has pinned three wrestlers ranked in the top-10 this season (#8 Matt Caccamise of Brockport, #7 Riley Parker of Washington & Lee, and #9 Austin Fashouer of Wilkes). Griffin has homerun hitting capability (seven pins) and is a bruiser from the top position, especially when he slips a boot in. Assuming he is healthy enough and ready to roll, the lightweight is a surefire threat to contend for a regional title or at least qualify for the national tournament this weekend.
 
Biggest threats: #11 Terry Adams (Ursinus), Cody Merwin (Cortland), Joey Lamparelli (Muhlenberg)
 
133 LB: Luis Hernandez
Postseason success is usually about riding momentum late in the season and peaking at the right time. Hernandez is one of those guys right now. Despite dropping a major decision loss to Jayden Cardenas of Cortland a week ago, the 133-pounder has won seven of his last eight matches. Hernandez has quietly pieced together an 18-7 record and has shown flashes of excellence this season. The junior is quick and scrappy on his feet, and he also has big-move ability which shadows his background in Greco-Roman wrestling. If the Miami, Fla. native can make a run at regionals and land a spot at the top of the podium, he will have everyone's attention at 133 pounds.
 
Biggest threats: Jake Giordano (TCNJ), #14 Jayden Cardenas (Cortland), Zach Levey (Brockport)
 
141 LB: Travis Jones
Jones has had a roller coaster of a season yet has still put together a solid campaign in what is only his second year of college wrestling. He sports a 21-9 record and has been neck-and-neck with some of the best wrestlers in the country. Jones wrestles a dangerous style with an unorthodox scrambling ability that can cause problems for any grappler he faces. After capturing a regional title as a freshman, a solid run in March is in the cards this season for Jones. If the Bomber wrestles to his full ability, expect him to get his hand raised quite a bit and hop on the airplane with the rest of the team to Cedar Rapids, Ia. in two weeks.
 
Biggest threats: Dom Difrancescantonio (TCNJ), Xavier Pena (Centenary), Ryan Burgbacher (Cortland)
 
149 LB: Matthew Beyer
The Pascack Valley product has put together his best collegiate season yet and now it is his time to make a name for himself in the Division III wrestling world. Beyer is 29-5 on the year with two of those losses coming against opponents who are atop the collegiate heap (6-5 to #4 Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace and 14-8 to #1 Brett Kaliner of Stevens). He has also recorded a team-high 72% bonus-point rate with bonus-point victories in 21 matches – 10 pins, five tech falls, and six majors. Beyer has a motor, is polished on his feet, and is always looking to manufacture points. For a wrestler who continues to improve as the season progresses, Beyer is primed to punch his ticket to the big show this weekend.
 
Biggest threats: #14 Chandler Merwin (Cortland), Michael Conklin (TCNJ)
 
157 LB: Adam Wagner
Wagner has proved to have jumped a few levels since his sophomore season. The 157-pounder has posted a 24-8 record with six of those losses coming by three points or less. Wagner is a tough and savvy three-year vet who has a solid offensive neutral game. He is a fundamental wrestler and tends to always stay in good position. The Bomber junior will look to find his way in the mix nationally at 157 pounds and make his first push to national stardom over the next two days.
 
Biggest threats: #1 Kaidon Winters (RIT), Shawn Marchesano (Ursinus), Matt Sacco (TCNJ)
 
165 LB: Jackson Gray
Gray is a wildcard at 165. One of the youngest competitors in Ithaca's experienced lineup, this will be the first postseason for the Pennsylvania native who is already making steady progress in his collegiate career. The IC rookie is 17-10 on the season and his raw production is impressive in itself, considering the stiff competition he's went up against. He is continuing to improve on his feet and can make the top position a factor in any match with his signature cross-wrist tilt and tough riding ability. Gray has a very high ceiling and is lurking as a dark horse to potentially earn himself his first national qualifying bid this weekend.
 
Biggest threats: #3 Dominick Reyes (Johns Hopkins), Austin Lamb (RIT), Tyler Brazinski (Oneonta)
 
174 LB: Adrian Rosario-Beato
The junior is 12-16 on the season but has lost a bunch of matches to high-quality opponents. Rosario-Beato is continuing to adjust to a heavier weight class after being pressed into service up at 174 pounds. That's plausible for a wrestler who began the season at 157 and is giving up 10+ pounds of weight almost every time he toes the line. He is usually calculated, reserved, and uses his athleticism to his advantage when wrestling. After coming off of an impressive 5-1 loss to Cortland hammer Demitreus Henry last week, Rosario-Beato will aim to take the next step in his career and become a national qualifier for the first time in the ensuing days.
 
Biggest threats: #8 Demitreus Henry (Cortland), #7 Charlie Grygas (Brockport), Mike Galton (Alfred State)
 
184 LB: Eze Chukwuezi
Chukwuezi is one of the Mideast Regional big guns. The four-year collegian from Fredericksburg, Va. has been a polarizing force throughout the 2021-22 campaign. He is a perfect 29-0 and has been a staple of consistency this season. Chukwuezi already has a 16-6 major decision over #8 Ryan DeVivo (Johnson & Wales) and an 8-2 decision over Daniel Surich (TCNJ) on his resume. He is technically sound in all three positions and is always one big move away from ending a match within the blink of an eye. With an unblemished record and a 2020 regional championship under his belt, Chukwuezi should be the heavy favorite to defend his title this weekend.
 
Biggest threats: Daniel Surich (TCNJ), William Laughlin (Scranton)
 
197 LB: Jordan Wallace
Wallace is an electric top-10 wrestler who will be competing in his final college postseason. The New Rochelle, N.Y. native missed the first half of the season while studying abroad, but in the handful of matches he's wrestled in thus far he's been lights out. Wallace is currently 10-0 on the season with eight bonus-point wins. Similar to Chukwuezi, the grad student has a dynamic style with big match-ending potential. The former Division I transfer will look to punch his ticket to the national tournament and finally be able to climb the All-American podium steps in the upcoming weeks. Look for JWall to do JWall things this weekend.
 
Biggest threats: #11 Luca Colestock (Muhlenberg), #12 Quinn Haddad (TCNJ)
 
285 LB: Edwin Rubio
Just like Wallace, this is Rubio's last ride wearing the blue and white singlet. Following two early losses to RIT's Calik Kennedy and TCNJ's Thomas Marretta, it appears that the heavyweight is shaking the rust off from his time off the mat with a preseason knee injury. He is currently on a red-hot streak, winning six straight matches with five of them being bonus. A national tournament bid is certainly not out of the question for the John Glenn High School grad, and a strong regional outing will put him in the same echelon as the top heavies in Division III.
 
Biggest threats: #14 Richard Knapp (Brockport), #15 Kevin Mulligan (Centenary), Thomas Marretta (TCNJ)
 
Ithaca College will compete in the 2022 Mideast Regional Championships tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. and on Sunday at 10 a.m. in Elizabethtown, Pa.