WORCESTER, Mass. – Three members of the Wesleyan wrestling team are still alive in the hunt for a qualifying spot into the NCAA Division III National Championships, following the completion of day one action at the NCAA Northeast Regionals on Saturday at WPI. As a team, Wesleyan compiled 38 points, sitting 12
th in the team standings out of 20 teams.
The three Cardinals still in contention include
Hayden Myers '27, who is a semifinalist in the 141-lb championship bracket. The remaining two –
CJ Shea '25 and
Andrew Maiorini '25 – are both in the quarterfinal round of the consolation flight, needing three wins to secure third place and the last of three qualifying spots into the NCAA Div. III Championships. As each are guaranteed at least an eighth-place finish in their respective weight classes, Myers, Shea, and Maiorini all earned NCAA All-Region honors.
Myers continues to excel as a first-year in his rookie campaign, opening the Regional Championship with a pinfall in 1:20 against Taylor Stubbs of Williams. He followed with another pin in under two minutes, this time in 1:58 against Matt Castillo of Roger Williams. In his quarterfinal match, Myers rolled past the #6 seed Owen Woolcott of Coast Guard in a 12-2 major decision victory, securing his place in the semifinal round of the championship flight. His opponent in the semifinals on Sunday is the #2 seed Victor Perlleshi of Johnson & Wales, who advanced to the semifinals via back-to-back pins.
After a first-round bye, Shea pinned Nicholas D'Erasmo of Hunter in 1:54, earning a quarterfinal appearance in the 157-lb flight. Shea was defeated by #2 seed Peter Kane of Williams in the quarterfinals but managed to bounce back with a 9-0 major decision win over Jack Carrozzi of Plymouth State in the consolation bracket. Needing three wins to secure third place, Shea opens a crucial Sunday with a matchup against #6 seed Ben Bariso of Roger Williams.
Maiorini took on the #3 seed Myles Leonard of Springfield in his opening bout, suffering a tough 4-2 loss by decision. Needing a big run in the consolation bracket, Maiorini battled all day, starting with a pin of 2022 All-American, Kyle Merritt of Norwich, in 3:56. He followed with a 7-1 decision win over Tyler Haynes of Southern Maine and earned a third straight consolation round win, majoring Ryan Hsu of host WPI in a 14-4 win. Maiorini opens Sunday with a bout against Roger Williams' Matt Lucas.
In other action,
Dario Molina '24 opened the championship flight at 174-lb with a 17-2 tech fall win over Ivan Corral of Merchant Marine. After a second round 5-1 decision loss to Roger Williams' Jayden Curley, Molina pinned Hadi Rehman of Hunter in just 18 seconds in the consolation bracket. His run then came to an end as he fell to Trinity's Adam Frost in the next round.
Two more Cardinals earned wins on the day, as
Max Martinez '25 defeated Carver Moyer of Norwich in the 133-lb consolation flight, earning a 15-3 major decision win.
Aris Dashiell '25 also earned a win in the consolation flight, defeating Nick Rogers of Springfield in a 10-4 decision victory at 184-lb.
Day Two of the Northeast Regionals at WPI begins at 10 AM.
