The Roadrunner Wrestling Team soared to the NJCAA Eastern District II team championship Saturday afternoon and picked up six individual titles and two runnerup spots in the process.
And they did so in impressive and dominating fashion!
Coach Dan Antonelli's Runners grabbed the team crown over runnerup Spartanburg Methodist, advancing all 10 wrestlers to the National Championship
Bringing home individual titles were Nick DiGiacomo (125 pounds), Atlee Cullison (149), Dylan Fischer (165), Tyler Baer (174), Jaden Roberts (184), and Curtis Thomas (197). In addition, Thomas -- who recorded three pins on the day -- was chosen as the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
"I definitely reached one of my goals today in winning the title," said Thomas, a freshman out of Delsea Regional. "I did what I thought I was capable of doing."
Sophomore Tyler Baer, a former Pitman High standout, registered a tech fall and pin in winning the 174-pound title.
"I was a lot more confident coming in here today compared to last year," said Baer. "We've wrestled a lot of tough matches in the regular season, so we knew we were ready for this tournament."
Finishing as runnersup were freshman C.J. Mazzarelli (133) and sophomore Mike Rubino (141). Also advancing to Nationals will be John Fountain, who had a third place finish at heavyweight, and sophomore Jared Carr (157), who qualified as a wildcard selection.
With their impressive performance in capturing the District championships, Antonelli now has the tall task of prepping his team for the National Championship Tournament in Council Bluffs, Iowa in two week.
"You're never ready for Nationals -- it's always tough and there's always work to do," said Antonelli. "But we will be ready."
Roadrunner Athletic Director Brian Rowan commented, "It is great to bring home the district championship for the first time since 2012 - what Dan and the rest of the coaching staff have done with this program is really impressive. Today, our student-athletes performed at a very high level and we beleive we have a team that can compete in two weeks with the best in the nation."
MATCH DAY
The Roadrunner wrestling team will compete in the NJCAA Eastern District Wrestling Championships at Lackawanna College on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The Roadrunners, coached by Dan Antonelli, finished a close second to Lackawanna in last season's tournament while qualifying six individual wrestlers for the NJCAA National Championship Tournament in Council Bluffs, IA.
Check this home page for results throughout the weekend.
WATCH LIVE HERE: https://lackawannafalcons.com/sports/2020/2/14/njcaa-region-xix-wrestling-championships.aspx
Live Scoring, Team Scores, Brackets and Results on FloWrestling Arena - Search "NJCAA Eastern B District"
Photos: https://gccphotos.smugmug.com/GCC-SPORTS/Wrestling/2020-Eastern-District-Championships/n-vTB7tH/
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
NJCAA 2019-20 WRESTLING DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Listed below are important items concerning the NJCAA Eastern District II Wrestling Tournament that will be held at Lackawanna College on Saturday, February 22, 2020. Admission is free. Check back here for results throughout the weekend.
2019-20 MEN'S WRESTLING PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
Bergen CCC
Camden CC
Middlesex CC
Rowan College South Jersey, Gloucester
Union County College
Lackawanna College
Spartanburg Methodist College
Garrett College
Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
Address of Host Site:
Lackawanna College Student Union
500 Jefferson Ave
Scranton, PA 18509
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2020
10:00 AM -- Wrestling Begins (until conclusion)
National Championship Qualification
- Methods for qualification are determined by each district
- Each district shall qualify no more than 70% of total participants
- Each district is granted a maximum of nine wild cards
2019-20 NJCAA Wrestling Championship
March 6-7, 2020
Mid-America Center
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Follow @NJCAAWrestling
