Two members of the Case Western Reserve University wrestling team placed fourth in their weight classes at the NCAA Division III Region V Tournament hosted by Wabash College at Knowling Fieldhouse in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on Saturday.

In the 133-pound bracket, junior Art Martinez, who was seeded fifth in the draw, started the day with a 15-4 major decision over eighth-seeded Robert Davids from Olivet in the consolation quarterfinal. In the consolation semifinal against third-seeded Anthony Zamora from Wheaton, he led 7-5 after three minutes with a pair of takedowns and an escape in the first period. The only scoring in the second period was an escape by Zamora, and Martinez escaped 37 seconds into the third period to take an 8-6 lead. However, Zamora took him down with 35 seconds left to lead 9-8. Martinez escaped to tie the score at nine and secured a takedown in the waning seconds to advance to the third-place match.

With a spot in the national championship meet on the line, Martinez faced Wabash's James Day, who was seeded second. Day led 4-0 after two periods, scoring on a takedown in the first and an escape in the second. He took down Martinez again early in the third stanza to take a 7-0 lead. However, the Spartan wrestler escaped and earned a point via penalty to trail by five with under 30 seconds remaining. Martinez earned a takedown in the waning moments of the match but was unable to gain any near fall points, dropping the decision 7-5.

The junior ended the season with an overall record of 38-10, winning 10 times by fall and 10 by technical fall. Through three seasons, he has a 104-32 overall record, the 12th most wins in program history.

Junior Thomas Wagner, who was seeded seventh at 157 pounds, faced Ayden Lutes from Wabash in the consolation quarterfinal to start the second day of competition. He won by decision, 8-3, earning points on a pair of reversals and a takedown in the final period. Wagner then advanced to the third-place match with a medical forfeit, where he faced third-seeded Darian Estevez from the University of Chicago.

The conference foes had faced off two weeks earlier at the University Athletic Association Championship, with Estevez winning by major decision, 15-7. At the regional tournament, the Maroon wrestler led 3-1 after one period and added a point with a quick escape to begin the second stanza. There was limited action in the final period, with Estevez receiving two stalling warnings to give Wagner a point. However, that would be all the scoring the match with Wagner dropping the contest by decision, 4-2.

Wagner ended the season with a record of 21-14 with five pins and six technical falls. For his career, he has an overall record of 58-42 with 21 pins and 12 technical falls.

Senior Calvin Cai, competing unseeded at 149 pounds, started his second day of competition with a 15-14 upset of seventh-seeded Brendan Connelly from the University of Chicago in the consolation quarterfinal. After a 5-5 first period, Cai allowed an escape before scoring seven points on a takedown and near fall. Connelly escaped again to make the score 12-7 after two stanzas. Cai escaped quickly to start the third period, but Connelly took him down to cut into the deficit. Another quick escape by Cai was followed by another takedown, making the score 14-13 in favor of the Spartan. Cai again escaped with 57 seconds remaining and Connelly was only able to score on a penalty.

In the consolation semifinal against fifth-seeded Tyler Starr from North Central, Cai scored eight points in the second period to lead 8-7 with two minutes remaining. However, Starr took down Cai with just seconds remaining in the contest to earn an 11-8 win by decision. In the fifth-place match against fourth-seeded Chase Mirelez from Millikin, Cai trailed 4-0 after two periods. He scored three times in the final frame, but was unable to overcome a pair of takedowns, dropping the contest by decision, 7-3, to place sixth.

Cai ended the season with a record of 9-15 winning once by fall and twice by technical fall. He finished his career as a Spartan with an overall mark of 67-70 across five different weight classes.

With no wrestler finishing in the top three in the region in his weight class, the Regional Tournament marks the end of the 2024-25 wrestling season for CWRU.

Spartan Notes

• CWRU finished 11th out of 17 schools in the team standings with 45.5 points. North Central won the regional championship with 173.0 points
• Martinez has placed at the regional tournament in all three of his seasons at CWRU, finishing fourth in 2024 and fifth in 2023, both at 141 pounds
• Wagner placed at the regional championship for the second time in his career after finishing sixth at 157 pounds last season
• Cai placed in the regional for the second time in his career after he finished fifth in the 157-pound bracket in 2023