ST. LOUIS (EYT) – Clarion’s Brock Zacherl, a Brookville graduate, is still alive at the NCAA Division I wrestling championships after going 1-1 Thursday in St. Louis, while Bucknell’s Tom Sleigh, a DuBois graduate, was eliminated from the competition after a pair of losses.
Zacherl, at 141 pounds, was given a tough draw in the opening round matching up against the defending national champion in Oklahoma State’s Dean Heil. But the sophomore gave Heil all he could handle before falling 6-5.
The Golden Eagle, making his second appearance in two years at the national championship, rebounded in the wrestlebacks knocking off Cal Poly’s Colton Schilling, 7-6, thanks to riding time. Zacherl led 6-5 going into the third period and started on top riding Schilling for nearly a minute and a half to clinch the all-important riding point that broke a 6-6 tie at the end of regulation after a Schilling escape. Zacherl will face Bucknell’s Tyler Smith Friday in the wrestlebacks.
Sleigh wasn’t as fortunate dropping a pair of close decisions at 197 pounds. He lost a first-round decision, 4-2 in sudden victory to Iowa’s Cash Wilcke and then fell 4-1 to Cal State Bakersfield’s Matt Williams.
Another Clarion wrestler is still alive, as Jake Gromacki went 1-1 Thursday.
Gromacki’s day started off with a 3-0 loss to Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser when Kraisser took down the Golden Eagle about 90 seconds into the bout for the only mat points of the bout. Kraisser picked up the extra point thanks to riding time.
Against Central Michigan’s Brent Fleetwood, it was the opposite story for Gromacki, as he managed a second-period escape to take a 1-0 win that thanks to riding points turned into a 2-0 victory.
Gromacki will wrestle Wyoming’s Drew Templeton Friday in the wrestlebacks.
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