CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA Sophomore Luke Kowalski (Derwood, Md./Saint John’s College) started his first national appearance with a bang by earning a second-period pin over a top-10 ranked wrestler, but the Gettysburg College grappler was upended in his next two bouts to end his run at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships held inside the Alliant Energy Powerhouse on Friday.
Matched up with eighth-ranked Tyler Fleetwood from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the first round, Kowalski gave up an early takedown and nearly gave up his back before rolling through to his stomach. Fleetwood managed to pick up a quick near-fall to take a 4-0 lead into the second period.
Working from the top position, Kowalski worked Fleetwood down to the mat and eventually managed to turn his opponent with less than 40 seconds to go. The maneuver resulted in a pin fall and sent the Gettysburg grappler into the quarterfinals.
Kowalski was paired with the odds-on favorite for the 133 title in his next match, Robbie Precin from North Central College. The two-time All-American entered the bout as the top-ranked wrestler in the country and was unbeaten at 35-0 following an opening-round 10-5 decision over 10th-ranked Josh Wilson from Greensboro College. Precin opened up with a quick takedown and turned Kowalski to the mat twice for a pair of near-falls in the opening period. The top-seeded wrestler managed two more takedowns and an escape en route to a 16-0 technical fall.
Zach Thompson from the University of Wisonsin-Platteville awaited Kowalski in the second round of the wrestleback. Thompson had dropped his opening match by major decision against No. 2 Dalton Rohrbaugh from York (Pa.) College, but he bounced back with a 3-2 win over Zach Levey from SUNY Brockport.
Both wrestlers needed the victory to clinch a spot on the podium and All-America honors and it was Kowalski who jumped in front with a quick takedown. Thompson turned the tide at the end of the match, finally escaping Kowalski’s clutches and spinning back for a takedown just before time expired to take a 3-2 lead.
Kowalski was called for stalling twice in the second period and Thompson turned the Bullet sophomore toward the mat for a near-fall and a 9-2 lead. In the third period, Thompson scored an opening takedown and maintained control of Kowalski for most of the remaining time. Kowalski escaped in the final 10 seconds and was caught diving for a single on Thompson in the final seconds of the 14-3 loss.
Kowalski was making his first national appearance after Gettysburg’s season was cancelled in 2020-21. The sophomore was the Bullets’ first national qualifier since his older brother Colin ’19 took the stage in both 2018 and 2019. The younger Kowalski closed out the year with an impressive 31-9 overall record along with 12 pins and eight major decisions. He was also named the Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year and claimed the individual 133-pound title at the Messiah University Invitational.
Match Scores
Luke Kowalski pinned #8 Tyler Fleetwood (Wis.-Eau Claire), 4:26
#1 Robbie Precin (North Central) tech. fall Luke Kowalski, 16-0 (5:31)
Zach Thompson (Wis.-Platteville) major dec. Luke Kowalski, 14-3
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.