WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Wilkes University wrestling's Austin Fashouer (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) and Colton Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) earned bids to the NCAA Division III Championships by placing runner-up in their respective weight classes at the 2022 NCAA Division III Southeast Regional Wrestling Tournament hosted by Lycoming College at the Keiper Recreation Center on Saturday. In total, seven Colonels placed in the top eight and Wilkes placed sixth of 20 teams 95.0 points.

Results/Brackets

The top three finishers at each of the 10 weight classes advanced to the NCAA Championships on March 11-12 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

At 125-pounds Fashouer, seeded second, punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships by pinning sixth seeded Keito Shaw of Alvernia late in the third period of the Semifinals. Fashouer trailed 6-2 heading to the third period but earned two penalty points with 1:29 remaining and 52 seconds remaining. The first year then tied the bout with a takedown with 37 seconds left and finished the fall with nine seconds left in the match. Fashouer then re-matched with Samuel Braswell of Averett in the Finals. Braswell had defeated Fashouer 7-5 for the title at the season-opening Ned McGinley Invitational. In the rematch the top seed of Braswell earned the Regional Title with a tight 3-2 decision. Fashouer led 1-0 on a second period escape heading to the third but Braswell earned an escape and a takedown to go ahead 3-1. Fashouer earned another escape but couldn't work a takedown over the final 49 seconds and settled for runner-up. Fashouer will head to nationals with a 32-4 record.

Babcock became a National Qualifier at 184-pounds when he pinned fifth seeded Isaac Kassis of Alvernia at the 2:14 mark of the first period of their Semifinal bout. The junior had earned the early takedown. Babcock then faced second seed Mahlic Sallah of Roanoke in the Finals but settled for runner-up after a 7-4 decision went against him. Babcock ranked 14th by the National Wrestling Coaches Association will head to the NCAA Championships with a 30-3 overall record.

Fifth seeded Cameron Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) lost his 197-pound Semifinal bout to eight seeded Mauro Pellot of Alvernia by a 10-6 decision. Butka used a 3-1 second period to pull within 5-4 heading to the third period but Pellot finished with a 5-2 period to seal the victory. That put Butka in the Consolation Semifinals where he defeated seventh seeded John Ryan Sedovy of Washington & Lee by a 6-5 score. The first year put together a 5-2 second period to go ahead 6-4 as he had an escape and two takedowns in the two minutes. He then held on in the third by only allowing an escape to move into the Third Place bout. There third seed Gable Crebs of Lycoming won 7-3 as Butka settled for fourth. He finished the season with a 29-10 overall record.

Junior James Geiger (Dallas, PA/Dallas) earned fifth place with a 4-2 record. The eighth seed defeated Ferrum's Elijah Martin 8-7 in the Consolation Round Four. He trailed 7-5 heading to the third period but earned an escape 15 seconds in and then a takedown with 14 seconds left to win the match. Geiger then lost by an 8-4 decision to third seeded Jaden Datz of Washington & Jefferson in the Consolation Semifinals to go into the Fifth Place match. Geiger then defeated seventh seeded Harrison Hinojosa of Stevens Institute of Technology with a 7-4 decision. He had two takedowns and two escapes and earned the riding time point to place fifth. Geiger finished the season with a 14-8 overall record.

Sixth seeded Jack Bauer (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) lost his Consolation Round Four bout to seventh seeded Gustav Petruske of King's by a sudden victory takedown 6-4. Bauer had tied the bout 4-4 with a third period escape. The loss put the junior in the Seventh Place match where he earned the victory with an 8-5 decision over Kyle Seibert of Alvernia. Bauer had three takedowns in the match and finished the season with a 21-9 overall record after going 4-2 at the Southeast Regional.

At 157-pounds Liam Flaherty (Needmore, PA/Southern Fulton) lost his Consolation Round Four bout to Ferrum's Christian Hite by an 8-1 decision. The senior then earned seventh place with a 13-5 major decision over Washington & Jefferson's Logan Marko. Flaherty earned six nearfall points in the match. He finished the season with a 12-7 record after going 3-2 at the Southeast Regional.

Nevin Rauch (New Columbia, PA/Milton) lost in the Consolation Round Four to second seeded Trent Ragland of Averett by fall. Rauch had upset Ragland yesterday. In the Seventh Place match Brandon Williams of Greensboro defeated Rauch with a 10-0 major decision. The sophomore placed eighth and finished the season with a 15-9 overall record.

Stevens won the team title at the Southeast Regional with 160.5 points, edging out Alvernia with 151.0 points. Brett Kaliner of Stevens won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award while Frank Medina of Stevens earned the award for Most Falls. Stevens' Anthony DiBonaventura won the Assistant Coach of the Year award while Alvernia's Kriss Bellanca won the Coach of the Year award.

With Fashouer and Babcock's National Qualification, Wilkes looks to restart a streak that ended at the 2020 Southeast Regional at 15 consecutive seasons of sending at least one wrestler to the NCAA Championships under head coach Jon Laudenslager '99.