CLEVELAND (Duhawks.com) - Second-ranked
Guy Patron Jr. proved his value on Friday at the 2018 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, winning both of his matches to advance to Saturday's championship semifinal.
Guy Patron Jr. | 197# | 2-0
One year after becoming the first freshman to place third or better in school history, Patron Jr. put himself in prime position to move past last year's feat, winning both of his bouts on Friday. The Jesuit prep opened with a 7-6 decision over Drew Kasper of Otterbein, scoring a takedown and a pair of reversals. In the end, it was Patron's two-plus minutes of riding time that proved to be the difference. In his championship quarterfinal bout, Patron Jr. was once again first to score, taking a 2-1 lead to the second period. After choosing down, Patron Jr. scored a reversal and rode Schultz to the tune of 2:59 of riding time after two periods. Schultz chose to start in the top position, a decision that quickly backfired as the Harvey, La. native turned yet another reversal, this time adding a two-point near fall to the move, taking an 8-1 lead. Even though he conceded a late takedown, Patron Jr. erased the advantage for Schultz with this third reversal of the bout, advancing to the championship semifinals with a 11-4 decision.
Patron Jr. brought his career win total to 70 and became the 15th two-time All-American in the program's history His 70 wins currently rank 28th.
Kevin Kelly | 141# | 2-2
As one of two Duhawks to draw a pigtail match, Kelly used it to his advantage, scoring a 8-4 decision. After a loss to the fifth-seeded Joe Ghione of Elizabethtown, Kelly defeated Austin Shorey of Southern Maine, 6-4, keeping his All-American hopes alive. Unfortunately for Kelly, his first trip to the NCAA Division III National Championships came to a close as a result of an 8-2 loss to Elmhurst Jimmy McAuliffe.
Jimmy Davis | 149# | 1-2
While Davis' finish at the the 2018 championships wasn't what the senior had envisioned, there's no doubt that he left it all out on the mat. The No. 2 seed opened with a fall in a pigtail match over Stephen Maloney of Messiah. During that bout, Davis appeared to tweak a lower-body injury that he sustained at the Lower Midwest Regional two weeks ago. That injury flared up again and limited his effectiveness, resulting in a loss to Evan Drill of NYU. Needing a win to keep his All-American bid in tact, Davis fell Stanley Bleich, 13-9. Although the scoreboard showed Bleich as the bout winner, Davis ended his career as a Duhawk scoring the last four points, including a takedown before time expired. He concludes with 93 career wins, good for 15th all-time in school history.
Quin Gilliam | 285# | 0-2
Gilliam's performance at nationals came down to two costly mistakes, resulting in the heavyweight being eliminated from the tournament after two bouts. In his opener, Gilliam suffered a 9-8 loss to Nico Ramirez of Southern Virginia, conceding a late takedown in the third period. Later, in his consolation bout, Gilliam and Tyler Ortmann of Cornell met once again. As the winner in the previous two meetings this season, Gilliam couldn't complete the trifecta as Ortmann shot in with less than 10 seconds to go to score a takedown and win.
UP NEXT
Patron Jr. wrestles his championship semifinal against Triston Engle of Brockport. The two met in last year's tournament during the consolation finals, with Patron Jr. winning 9-2. Patron Jr. and Engle enter Saturday's semifinal with a combined 73-7 record and two All-American honors. A win by Patron Jr. would give Loras its first NCAA Finalist since 2014, the year James Buss won the title at 285#.
