17th of 17 at NCAA Division III Central Regional

Senior Tyler Bodovetz (Streetsboro) qualified for the NCAA Division III championship while representing Ohio Wesleyan during the second day of the NCAA Division III Central Regional tournament, hosted by Wabash College on Saturday in Crawfordsville, Ind.

North Central won the tournament with 173 points to 142½ for Wisconsin-Whitewater.  Millikin finished third with 118½ points, followed by Olivet (113½), Wabash (113), Adrian (84), Chicago (79½), Albion (60½), and John Carroll (59).  Manchester completed the top 10 teams with a total of 53 points, followed by Case Reserve (45½), Wheaton (37), Elmhurst (35), Alma (29), Trine (25), Mount St. Joseph (15½), and Ohio Wesleyan (14½).

Bodovetz placed third in the 174-pound bracket to grab the final qualifying spot for the NCAA Division III championship meet, scheduled for March 14-15 in Providence, R.I.  Bodovetz is the first Battling Bishop wrestler to advance to the national championship meet since the team returned to varsity status for the 2018-19 season.  The last Ohio Wesleyan wrestler to compete on the national stage was Mark Rodan, who competed as a heavyweight in the 1979 NCAA Division III championship at Arcata, Calif.

Bodovetz had won his 2 matches on Friday to move into the semifinals of the championship bracket.  On Saturday, Bodovetz faced Javen Estrada of North Central in a semifinal matchup, with Estrada taking a 20-5 technical fall.

In the consolation bracket semifinals, Bodovetz recorded a 9-6 decision over Zachary Knapp of Albion to move into the third-place match, and with the final qualifying spot on the line, Bodovetz posted a 9-7 decision over Jay Shaull of Olivet.

Final Results