WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. Sophomore Luke Kowalski (Derwood, Md./Saint John’s College), junior Eric Mougalian (Kinnelon, N.J./Kinnelon), and senior Ray Martin (Downingtown, Pa./West Chester Henderson) remain in contention for national bids after advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Southeast Regional Championship hosted by Lycoming College.
Kowalski scored a pair of wins in the bracket at 133 in his regional debut. He pinned Kyle Seibert from Alvernia University in 2:20 and tacked on an 11-4 decision over Hunter Thompson from Thiel College. He’ll square off with third-ranked Dalton Rohrbaugh from York (Pa.) College in Saturday’s semifinals. The two met earlier this season with the York grappler scoring a 14-2 major decision. Kowalski is 28-6 overall with 11 pins.
Mougalian continued his postseason surge with two wins at 149 pounds. After winning the Centennial Conference championship two weeks ago, the junior improved to 19-14 this season with a decision over Robert Zelinski of King’s College before scoring a late pin-fall in a close match with Jake Coniglio of Messiah University. Mougalian will meet Hunter Campbell of Averett University in the semis.
Martin draws a bout with sixth-ranked Matt Lackman from Alvernia University in the semifinals at 165 pounds. Martin rolled out to an 8-3 lead in the first period on the way to a 10-3 decision over Cooper Kidd from Delaware University in his opening match. In the quarterfinals, the Gettysburg senior dispatched Washington and Lee University’s Joe Salerno for the third time this season by an 8-2 count. Martin is 30-6 overall with 13 pins.
The top three finishers in each weight class will earn automatic bids to the 2022 NCAA Division III Championships on March 11-12 at Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The action resumes Saturday at 9 a.m. with semifinals and consolation matches.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.