WILLIAMSPORT, PA – Cameron Butka (Scranton, PA/West Scranton), Jaryn Hartranft (Catasauqua, PA/Catasauqua), and Caleb Burkhart (Hughesville, PA/Hughesville) become NCAA National Qualifiers on Saturday as all three placed within the top three of their respective weight classes for the Wilkes University wrestling team at the 2024 NCAA Division III Southeast Wrestling Tournament. Butka became the first Colonel to become a Regional Champion since 2019 as he won the 197-pound title.

Final Results / Brackets

Hartranft placed runner-up at 157-pounds to earn his national qualification and Burkhart was third at 285-pounds. Along with Butka, the trio became the most NCAA National Qualifiers for the program since the 2015 season when the team had four.

Wilkes placed eighth of 22 teams overall at the NCAA Southeast Regional with 91.5 team points.

Butka clinched his first career national qualification with a dramatic win in the Semifinals over John Santowski of Washington & Lee University by a 4-2 decision. Butka, the No. 2 seed, gained a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second period, but Santowski tied the score with an escape of his own early in the third period. Butka then scored the winning takedown with 25 seconds remaining to move to the Finals. The junior then won the 197-pound Southeast Regional Championship with a 10-7 decision over Lorenzo Pellot of Roanoke. Butka scored takedowns in the first, second, and third periods to get and stay ahead in the bout. He is currently ranked No. 9 nationally by the NWCA and will enter the NCAA Championships with a 36-2 overall record.

Hartranft clinched his first career national qualifying spot with a 12-3 major decision over Garret Cornell of Messiah University in the 157-pound Semifinals. The sophomore, who was the No. 2 seed, scored takedowns in the first and second periods and then scored on a reversal, takedown, and riding time point in the third period to reach the Final. Top seed Ryan Smith of Stevens scored an 11-2 major decision to earn the Regional Championship while Hartranft earned runner-up in the weight class. Hartranft will enter the NCAA Championships with a 30-9 overall record this season.

Burkhart, the No. 5 seed, dropped his 285-pound Semifinal bout to top seed Rayshawn Dixon of Ferrum College by fall but then strung together wins in the Consolation Semifinals and the Third Place Bout to become a first-time national qualifier. Burkhart used a 15-0 technical fall over Hayden Benner of Messiah in the Consolation Semifinal. After a scoreless first period Burkhart used an escape, takedown then two four-point nearfalls to take a 12-0 lead. A third period takedown for Burkhart earned the tech fall at 5:52. In the Third Place Bout with an NCAA Qualifying position on the line, the junior defeated John Sedovy of Washington & Lee by fall in 1:09. Burkhart enters the NCAA Championships with a 31-9 overall record and 21 total falls.

Christopher Nuss (Gore, VA/James Wood) placed sixth at 184-pounds. On Saturday Nuss, who was the No. 6 seed, was able to defeat Vincenzo Corvetto of Roanoke by a 4-1 decision on a takedown with 12 seconds left to move into the Consolation Semifinals. The junior then lost to Rylan Mosse of Marymount University by fall. In the Fifth Place Bout Nuss lost by a technical fall to Nicholas Hall of Delaware Valley University. Nuss finished the season with an 18-5 overall record and his second consecutive placement at the Southeast Regional after being eighth last year at 174-pounds.

Jack Bauer (Ringoes, NJ/Hunterdon Central) placed seventh at 141-pounds. On Saturday Bauer, who was the No. 7 seed, dropped his first bout by a 4-1 decision to Nico Diaz of Stevens. The graduate student then won the Seventh Place Bout by an 11-2 major decision over Luke Kowalski of Gettysburg College. He scored two takedowns in the first period and another in the second while adding an escape point and riding time for his final collegiate victory. Bauer finished the season with a 25-8 overall record and his career with a 92-39 record. Bauer was a four-time placewinner at the Southeast Regional.

Wilkes was fourth overall of the 22 teams with nine total fall across the tournament.

No. 10 Stevens Institute of Technology won the team title with 164.5 points.

NCAA Southeast Regional Awards:

Most Outstanding Wrestler – Josh Wilson, Greensboro College
Coach of the Year – Nate Yetzer, Roanoke College
Coaching Staff/Assistant Coaches of the Year – Roanoke College
Most Falls – George Moseley, Averett University
 
Butka, Hartranft, and Burkhart will now head to the NCAA Division III Championships on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. They will all vie to become All-Americans by placing in the top six. The last time Wilkes had an All-American was 2015 when Matthew Grossman was a National Champion and Guesseppe Rea was sixth place.