CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Ithaca College wrestling team began its season finale on Friday evening with two wrestlers locking up All-American status following opening day action at the NCAA Division III Championships. Although three of the five qualifiers were eliminated, senior Eze Chukwuezi and grad-student Jordan Wallace became the 84^th and 85^th All-Americans in program history with gutsy wins in the consolations.
 
Both Chukwuezi and Wallace dropped their quarterfinal bouts yet managed to fight back in the blood round to seal Top-8 finishes. Fellow Bombers Luis Hernandez, Travis Jones, and Edwin Rubio all had tough outings and went 0-2 to put their impressive seasons at rest.
 
In the team standings, DIII powerhouse Wartburg continues to control the wrestling landscape as it currently holds a first-place lead with 58 total points to conclude the first day of action. Augsburg trails by 13 team points with 45 of its own, while Wabash narrowly follows behind with 40.5 points. IC currently sits in 22^nd with just 12 points.
 
The following is a breakdown of Ithaca's bouts on Friday evening.
 
133 LB: Luis Hernandez
Pigtail Round 1: Zach Thompson (UW-Platteville) def. Luis Hernandez (IC) | Dec 10-3
Consolation Round 1: #8 Tyler Fleetwood (UW-Eau Claire) def. Luis Hernandez (IC) | Dec 6-2
 
In what has been a decorated season for the junior 133-pounder, Luis Hernandez's 2021-22 campaign was cut short after the first session concluded on Friday.
 
In his opening match of the tournament, the Bomber could not generate any offense on his feet as he lost the takedown battle to Zach Thompson of Wisconsin-Platteville in a 10-3 deficit. Dropping to the consolations, Hernandez drew a tough opponent in #8 Tyler Fleetwood of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who got upset in the preliminary round. The junior emptied the tank and fought hard for seven minutes, but a few costly takedowns were the difference-maker as Fleetwood knocked him out of the tournament with a tactical 6-2 triumph.
 
Hernandez caps off the year with a 22-10 record and will look to return to the big show next season with hopes of landing a spot on the podium.
 
141 LB: Travis Jones
Preliminary Round: #2 Jimmy McAuliffe (Elmhurst College) def. Travis Jones (IC) | MD 14-0
Consolation Round 1: #7 Sam Stuhl (Augsburg) def. Travis Jones (IC) | TF 15-0
 
Junior 141-pounder Travis Jones went head-to-head with two Top-10 wrestlers in both rounds as his season came to an end. Jones closes out the year with a 24-12 mark and will be primed for another NCAA appearance in 2023.
 
The New Jersey native had a rocky start in his opening national tournament bout going up against the second-ranked grappler in the nation in #2 Jimmy McAuliffe of Elmhurst. Jones struggled to get out of bottom, as a few turns and a relentless ride by McAuliffe on top anchored him to a commanding 14-0 major decision.
 
Jones returned to the mats on Friday night aiming to keep his All-American dreams alive during the second session. He squared off against #7 Sam Stuhl of Augsburg, who was coming off an upset loss to Averett's Brandon Woody in the prelims. Unfortunately, it was all Stuhl from start to finish. The Augsburg product notched the opening takedown a minute and thirty into the match and collected eight additional points off of back-to-back four-point turns. Leading 10-0 in the second, Stuhl escape, tallied another takedown, and hit a tilt for a swift 15-0 technical fall.
 
184 LB: #4 Eze Chukwuezi
Preliminary Round: #4 Eze Chukwuezi (IC) def. Isaac Kassis (Alvernia) | FALL 6:36
Quarterfinals: #5 Jarrit Shinhoster (UW-Whitewater) def. #4 Eze Chukwuezi (IC) | MD 10-0
Consolation Round 2: #4 Eze Chukwuezi (IC) def. Ryan Schott (Coe College) | Dec 4-3
 
Senior phenom and fourth-seed Eze Chukwuezi entered the opening day will the highest of expectations for the Bombers in what is his third NCAA Championship bid. Chukwuezi got off to a hot start, sticking Isaac Kassis of Alvernia in the third period to punch his ticket to the quarterfinal round.
 
Unfortunately, Chukwuezi's hopes for a national title were shattered in the quarters against Wisconsin-Whitewater hammer Jarrit Shinhoster. Chukwuezi surrendered the first takedown 12 seconds into the bout and got ridden out the entire opening period. Shinhoster kept his offense in check in the second, tacking on another takedown and forcing Chukwuezi to get hit with multiple stall calls to go up 6-0. Shinhoster owned the final period as well, getting a quick escape and a third takedown, plus a riding time point to win a commanding 10-0 major decision.
 
Chukwuezi clawed his way to All-American status for the first time in his career in the blood round against Coe College's Ryan Schott. It was a gut-check match for the Bomber, and he delivered in what is arguably the best moment of his college tenure thus far. After surrendering the opening takedown and trailing 2-1 after the first period, Chukwuezi notched a reversal and rode out the entire second to take a 3-2 edge. The Fredericksburg, VA native rode out a solid portion of the third before cutting Schott loose but Chukwuezi's 2:56 in riding time was enough to seal an emphatic 4-3 victory.
 
197 LB: #6 Jordan Wallace
Preliminary Round: #6 Jordan Wallace (IC) def. Matthew Kelly (NYU) | MD 12-3
Quarterfinals: #3 Coy Spooner (USCG) def. #6 Jordan Wallace (IC) | Dec 5-4
Consolation Round 2: #6 Jordan Wallace (IC) def. Mauro Pellot (Alvernia) | Dec 6-4
 
In what is his last ride wearing the blue and white singlet, sixth-seed Jordan Wallace finally reached the podium. The grad-student was utterly dominant in his first-career NCAA tournament match against New York University's Matthew Kelly. As usual, Wallace shined on his feet and was a bruiser from the top position to coast to a 12-3 win.
 
The Bomber's quarterfinal match was much more down to the wire. Wallace picked up an early takedown to go up 2-1 after the first. Tied 2-2 late in the second period, Spooner reeled in a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to take a 4-2 advantage. Wallace answered quickly in the third, however, hitting a slick reversal before Spooner escaped to go up 5-4. The IC upper weight ran out of steam with a few late shot attempts to lose a heartbreaking 5-4 match.
 
Wallace's push to All-American status finally came in the blood round against Alvernia's Mauro Pellot. Behind 2-1 early, Wallace went to work on his feet and picked up two takedowns to close out the period on top 5-3. After both wrestlers exchanged escapes to start off the final two periods, Wallace used heavy hands defense to place himself on Ithaca College's prestigious All-American wall.
 
285 LB: Edwin Rubio
Preliminary Round: #3 Liridon Leka (JW) def. Edwin Rubio (IC) | Dec 5-3
Consolation Round 1: Hank Behaeghel (JHU) def. Edwin Rubio (IC) | Dec 3-2
 
Bomber heavyweight Edwin Rubio's lengthy college career sadly reached the end of the road on Friday night following two razor-thin losses.
 
Rubio kicked off his NCAA Championship debut bout against third seed #3 Liridon Leka of Johnson & Wales. It was a tight bout from start to finish, but a late Leka takedown did just enough to edge the Bomber 5-3.
 
In a rematch from the Mideast Regional tournament, Rubio slid to the consolations and went head-to-head against Johns Hopkins' Hank Behaeghel. Leading 1-0 in the third, Rubio got reversed and hit with a few stall calls to fall behind 3-1. After earning an escape with 30 seconds left, Rubio could not find any angles on his feet to set up a takedown before time ran out. Rubio closes out the season and his Bomber career with a 12-5 record.
 
Action is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. inside the U.S. Cellular Center.