Contact: Sam Fretto, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu
(Mar. 12, 2025)- With six wrestlers qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Championship, the North Central College men’s wrestling team won the program's first-ever team regional championship. They are now aiming for the program's first team national championship.
“We take it for what it is. It is an awesome accomplishment, and although the sights are set on nationals, I try to celebrate the victories leading up to that,” head coach Grant Zamin said. “Winning regionals just keeps our momentum going into the postseason. I am proud of these guys!”
The Cardinals took first place the NCAA Regional Championship with 173 points. The next closest team, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, scored 142.5 points. Millikin University placed third with 118.5, The University of Olivet scored 113.5 for fourth place and rounding out the top five was Wabash College with 113 points.
At the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Championship, Christian Guzman, Bradley Rosen, Alex Villar, Javen Estrada, Robby Bates, and Tyler Starr all qualified for nationals. In order to qualify for the national championship, you must finish in the top three in your respective weight class.
Guzman, now a three-time national qualifier, is the No. 2 ranked 125-pound wrestler according to the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll. Guzman was one of two Cardinals to win a regional championship as he currently sits at 31-0 this season. He has 17 technical falls on the season, which puts him fourth nationally in all of Division III.
Rosen is the 12th-ranked 141-pound wrestler according to the latest NWCA poll. Rosen was the other Cardinal to win a regional championship as he sits with a record of 20-2 with 10 wins coming via technical fall. This will be the second time Rosen has competed in the national championship, as he competed at nationals in 2023.
Estrada placed second in the regional championship after he had to medically forfeit the championship match. Estrada qualified for nationals for a third season, with his other two coming in 2022 and 2023. He enters the national championship with a record of 18-3, with nine wins coming by way of pinfall.
Four of the six competitors for North Central are seniors. This will be the last time they compete as a Cardinal, and they are ready to give it their all at the national championship.
“This is these guys' last chance to compete at the national championship. I tell them, ‘Just leave it all out there and enjoy it.’ Being at nationals is an awesome opportunity to showcase all their hard work! We just want these guys to go out there and let it fly, and the wins will come with this mindset,” said Zamin.
The NCAA Division III National Championship, hosted by Johnson & Wales University, kicks off Friday, Mar. 14, in the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI. Click HERE for more information.
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Credits:
Steve Woltmann, Mark Black, D3 Photography