Takedown Report

Wartburg and Johnson & Wales tie for NCAA Div. III Nationals team title

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — They expected a tight battle this weekend at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. It doesn’t get any closer.
After back-to-back wins by Wartburg to move ahead in the team race, Joziah Fry of tournament host Johnson & Wales beat Christian Guzman of North Central 10-5 in the final bout, winning his third national title at 125 pounds, ending the tournament in a tie for the championship with 83.5 points.
It marked the first time two teams have tied for the title.
It also was the first time a team other than Wartburg or Augsburg finished first as a team since 1994.
It gave Wartburg a 16-15 edge over Augsburg in team titles.
And it gave JWU Coach Lonnie Morris the championship hats and T-shirts he coveted. “We’ve always talked to the kids about it’s all about winning the hats and the T-shirts; we don’t really (care) about the trophy as much as when you win the hats and the T-shirts it means you’re the winning team,” Morris said.
“It was a great weekend. We came in and we believed we could win it right from the regionals. … At the end of the day we made it happen.”
Meanwhile, Wartburg owed thanks to North Central for helping it finish first, just as it did when it won the title in 2022. Guzman, who lost to Fry by technical fall in last year’s final kept the match within eight points so Fry couldn’t get a bonus point that would have made Johnson & Wales the sole champion. In 2022, North Central won a head-to-head championship match with Wabash that preserved Wartburg’s one-point lead over Wabash.
“North Central will always have a sweet spot in my heart because it was my first head coaching job (2005-06), so it’s kind of a crazy irony that twice now North Central has played a part in our national championships,” said Wartburg head coach Eric Keller.
Fry said he wasn’t surprised that he saw a different Guzman this year. “Guzman’s a great athlete, a great kid on and off the mat,” he said. “He’s a great competitor, so we had a great match and that’s what it is.” Fry knew what was on the line, and he actually had to battle back after Guzman scored the first takedown. But an escape and takedown gave him a 4-3 lead, then he flipped Guzman onto his back for a key four-point near fall that gave him some breathing room.
“Going into this finals match was kind of nerve-wracking because I knew I had to win in order for our team to win the national championship … ,” Fry admitted. … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2025/march/16/wartburg-and-johnson-wales-tie-for-ncaa-div-iii-nationals-team-title

March 16, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized