CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – Austin Fashouer (Scranton, PA/West Scranton) and Colton Babcock (Sweet Valley, PA/Northwest Area) both concluded their season representing the Wilkes University wrestling team on Friday at the 2022 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the Alliant Energy Powerhouse.

Both Colonel grapplers, who placed runner-up at the NCAA Southeast Regional, went 0-2 with hard fought bouts.

Brackets/Results

Fashouer fell behind fourth seeded Brady Kyner of Wartburg College 40 seconds into their 125-pound Round of 16 bout as Kyner had a takedown and two back points. Just over halfway through the first period, Fashouer got on the scoreboard with an escape point and the first period would end with the first-year grappler down 4-1.

Kyner chose bottom to start the second period and escaped nine second in to go ahead 5-1. Fashouer then got his first takedown of the match with 41 seconds left in the period and forced a stall warning on Kyner as he went off the mat. Kyner would escape with 17 seconds left to take a 6-3 lead into the third period.

Fashouer started on the bottom and worked an escape 13 seconds in and then used his second takedown just 14 seconds later to tie the match at 6-6. The two grapplers went off the mat on the takedown and Fashouer chose to start neutral in the middle as Kyner was awarded the escape point and the 7-6 lead. Fashouer was unable to work another takedown over the final 1:30 of the third as Kyner advanced to the Quarterfinals with a 7-6 decision. With the loss Fashouer went into the Consolation Second Round to face fifth seeded Justin Lopez of Johnson & Wales University.

In the night session Fashouer dropped his first Consolation match by a 7-1 decision to Lopez. The fifth seed used a takedown at 52 seconds on the first period to grab the lead and after a Fashouer escape, he tacked on another takedown 1:40 into the period. Lopez made the 4-1 lead last through a scoreless second period where Fashouer chose neutral to start.
In the third period Lopez started on the bottom and worked an escape with 35 seconds left and then a late takedown to win 7-1. Fashouer finished his first season in the Navy and Gold with a terrific 32-6 overall record.

Babcock began his 184-pound Round of 16 bout with the opening takedown of seventh seeded Lucas Salmon of Baldwin Wallace University just 29 seconds into the first period. The busy first period then went Salmon's way with a reversal before Babcock reversed for a 4-2 lead. Salmon reversed again and was awarded four nearfall points in the closing moments of the first period to lead 8-4.

Salmon started on the bottom in period two and used a reversal to go ahead 10-4. Babcock got a late reversal to make the score 10-6 heading into the third.

At the midway point of the third Salmon got a takedown to make it 12-6. Babcock was able to score on an escape and takedown late in the period to make it 12-9 but Salmon also was awarded the riding time point to win with a 13-9 decision and move into the Quarterfinals. With the loss Babcock moved into the Consolation Second Round to face Maguire Pecci of the University of Chicago.

In the night session Babcock lost his first Consolation bout to Pecci. The Chicago grappler got the first takedown 58 seconds into the first period. With 1:16 left in the period Babcock escaped to get on the board. Pecci then took Babcock down again into the fall at the 2:32 mark. Babcock finished his junior season of wrestling and his first for the Colonels with a stellar 30-5 overall record.