Sophomore Calvin Cai and first-year Art Martinez both advanced to the second day of competition for the Case Western Reserve University wrestling team at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Central Regional Championships held at the Veale Center in Cleveland on Saturday.
Cai, competing in the 157-pound bracket, went 3-1 on the day with two pins. He started the competition with a win by fall in 52 seconds over Zach Morgan from Manchester in the preliminary round. Following a loss in the first championship round, Cai rebounded with a win in the first consolation round, pinning Ohio Wesleyan's Tim Alexander in 4:22. It was his sixth pin of the season and the seventh of his career. Cai advanced to the second day with a win in the second consolation round, defeating Adrian's Trenton DiGenova by decision, 9-6. Cai will face Alejandro Castro of Defiance in the third consolation round on Sunday with the winner facing off against the loser of the semifinal match between Ryan Whitten of Otterbein and Patrick McGraw of John Carroll.
Martinez, wrestling at 141 pounds, won his first match by decision, 6-2, over Hiram's Alex Savering. In the quarterfinal, he lost to Zachery Anderson of Baldwin Wallace by decision, 5-1. However, Martinez rebounded with a win by fall in the second consolation round, defeating Kliever Joseph of Defiance in 2:38. It was his 12th pin and team-leading 32nd win of the season. Martinez will face Dylan Phelps of Olivet in the third consolation round with the winner taking on the loser of the semifinal match between Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern and Jett Boots of Trine.
Both senior Mitchell Arch and first-year John Conover recorded two wins for CWRU. In the 165-pound bracket, Arch won his first bout by major decision, 14-4, and pinned Defiance's Keringten Martin in the first consolation round in 56 seconds. It was Arch's team-leading 15th pin of the season and the 57th of his career. After a loss in his first match, Conover picked up a 7-5 decision in the preliminary round. He followed that with his first career technical fall, defeating Alexander Ruth of Wilmington 16-1 in 5:28. Both Conover and Arch lost in the second consolation round to end their seasons.
In the 149-pound bracket, first-year Calvin Rowan won his first match by decision 5-1 to advance to the quarterfinal. Facing Chase Sumner of Ohio Northern, the 10th ranked wrestler at the weight class in Division III, Rowan lost by major decision. In the second consolation round, he dropped a 7-3 decision to Isaac Hawkins of Trine.
First-years E.J. Alizio (125 pounds) and Jacob Gregg (133 pounds) and senior Stephen Andryc (197 pounds) all went 1-2 at the tournament.
After the first day of competition, the Spartans are in 14th place out of 20 teams with 24.5 points. Ohio Northern leads the regional with 92.5 points with Baldwin Wallace and Wabash tied for second with 88.5 points.
The Central Regional Championship concludes on Sunday, with action starting at 11 a.m. The top three finishers in each weight class will qualify for the 2023 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
