MANHEIM, Pa. - On Tuesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) announced the 2020 NCAA Division III All-American teams. Despite the cancelation of the National Championships just hours before they were set to begin, the NWCA decided to move forward with the announcement of First, Second, and Third Team All-Americans with the honoring being based off their body of work on the season as a whole rather than just their performance at the National Championship.
As a result, all five of Messiah's National Qualifiers were celebrated on either the Second or Third Team.
Garret Cornell (141 lbs.) led the Falcons with a Second Team nod, while
Sean Redington (125 lbs.),
Stephen Maloney (157 lbs.),
Brian Shermeyer (174 lbs.), and
David Stevens (184 lbs.) were named to the Third Team.
Thanks to the five All-American honors handed out to Falcons on Tuesday, the Messiah wrestling program now has 45 national honors in program history.
125 lbs. - Sean Redington - Sr. - 30-9, 10 falls, 68 takedowns, 26 reversals, 37 nearfalls, 40 escapes
Redington qualified for the National Championships by finishing as the runner-up at the Regional Championships. Redington was a two-time National Qualifier at 125 lbs., advancing to the Championships in both 2018 and 2020. He finished his senior season with a 30-9 overall record and won 125 lbs. titles at the MAC Championship and Petrofes Invitational. He also finished fourth at the Pete Wilson Invite at Wheaton. Redington finishes his career with a 82-46 career record with 27 falls.
141 lbs. - Garret Cornell - Fr. - 23-5, 14 falls, 19 takedowns, 16 reversals, 15 nearfalls, 20 escapes
Cornell put together a strong freshman campaign in Grantham, finishing the year with a 23-5 overall record. He qualified for the National Championships at Regionals by battling his way back through the consolation bracket. After dropping a match on Friday at Regionals, Cornell battled his way back, earning a thrilling, third-period fall to finish in third place. Cornell ended his season by picking-up the most pins in the shortest amount of time at the Regionals, earning four falls in 9:35.
157 lbs. - Stephen Maloney - 36-6, five falls, 74 takedowns, three reversals, 80 nearfalls, 17 escapes
A three-time National Qualifier, Maloney earned his spot at 157 lbs. this season after back-to-back appearences at Nationals at 149 lbs. This season at 157 lbs. Maloney put together a 36-6 record on the year with an astounding 80 nearfalls. He is the program leader in career nearfalls with 287 across his four seasons in Grantham. This year, Maloney picked up 157 lbs. title at the Messiah Invitational and earned top-five finishes at Petrofes (runner-up), the MAC Championships (third), and Pete Wilson Invitational (fifth).
174 lbs. - Brian Shermeyer - 29-12, nine falls, 64 takedowns, seven reversals, 21 nearfalls, 25 escapes
Brian Shermeyer qualified for Nationals for the second-straight season after finishing in third place at Regionals. The junior accumulated a 29-12 record this season and picked up a trio of top-three finishes in tournaments. Shermeyer was the runner-up at both the Jim Crytzer and MAC Championship while taking third in the Messiah Invitational.
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184 lbs. - David Stevens - 36-10, five falls, 80 takedowns, four reversals, 22 nearfalls, 35 escapes
Junior
David Stevens finished the Regional as the runner-up to punch his ticket to Nationals for the first time in his career. Stevens finished the season with a 33-9 record thanks in part to a team-high 80 takedowns. He claimed the MAC Championship at 184 lbs. and finished in the top-five at the Jim Crytzer Invitational (runner-up), Petrofes Invitational (third), and Pete Wilson (fifth).
