CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -
Josiah Gehr and
Nick Barnhart represented the Messiah wrestling team on Friday at the NCAA Division III National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gehr earned a pair of decisions on the day to clinch an All-American finish at 141 lbs. while Barnhart saw his 2021-22 season come to a close with a pair of hard-fought matches not going his way.
At 141 lbs.,
Josiah Gehr advanced to the Quarterfinals with a First Round victory, but after falling to the consolation bracket, he needed a win in the consolation bracket to claim All-American honors. He did just that with a 14-11 victory over Brock Henderson from Coe College to clinch at least an eighth-place finish.
Thanks to the 4.5 points that Gehr scored, Messiah currently sits in a tie for 41st among the 70 teams with representatives at the National Championships.
The National Championships conclude tomorrow with wrestling getting underway at 11:00 a.m. ET/10:00 a.m. CT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Josiah Gehr - 141 lbs.
First Round - Josiah Gehr (Messiah) won by decision (8-6) over No. 4 Javen Estrada (North Central)
Quarterfinals – No. 5 Kyle Slendorn (Stevenson) won by fall (5:40) over Josiah Gehr (Messiah)
Consolation Bracket - Josiah Gehr (Messiah) won by decision (14-11) over Brock Henderson (Coe)
It was an exciting start for
Josiah Gehr in the 141 lbs. weight class. Gehr pulled fourth-seeded Javen Estrada from North Central as his First Round opponent and thanks to a late takedown in the third period, Gehr earned the upset victory. Things did not look as good just two minutes into the bout as Estrada earned a quick takedown and two nearfall points to snag a 4-0 lead. Gehr claimed a reversal and two nearfall points of his own to tie things up at 4-4 heading to the second period.
In the second, Estrada earned two more nearfall points before Gehr earned his second reversal. Once again, the match was tied heading to a new period. This time it was 6-6, but Estrada held 1:22 of riding time.
Needing a takedown, Gehr earned his important takedown with 26 seconds remaining in the third. He rode out Estrada to erase the riding time and earn the 8-6 decision.
With the First Round victory, Gehr advance to see a family foe, Stevens' Kyle Slendorn in the Second Round. Taking on the fifth-seeded Slendorn, Gehr earned an early takedown. Slendorn followed with an escape, takedown, and two nearfall points to build a 5-2 advantage after the opening period. After Slendorn chose down and earned a quick escape, Gehr scored a late takedown in the second to pull within two at 6-4. In the third, Slendorn earned another takedown and, in the scramble, locked up a cradle, pinning Gehr in 5:40.
Gehr shook off the setback, earning a 14-11 decision over Brock Henderson from Coe College in the consolation bracket to earn All-American honors. In his match with Henderson, Gehr jumped out to a huge 8-0 lead in the opening period, thanks to a takedown and six nearfall points. From there, Henderson did his best to rally back, earning five takedowns, but Gehr escaped five times and earned a riding time point for the 14-11 victory.
With the 2-1 record on Friday, Gehr has locked up at least eighth place and has an opportunity to finish as high as third with three-straight victories on Saturday.
Nick Barnhart - 157 lbs.
Prelim - Zarik Anderson (Dubuque) won by decision (4-3) over Nick Barnhart (Messiah)
Consolation Prelim - No. 8 Zeke Smith (Loras) won by decision (5-0) over Nick Barnhart (Messiah)
Nick Barnhart opened the NCAA National Championships with a prelim match against Zarik Anderson from Dubuque. Less than a minute into the opening period, Barnhart was taken down, but earned a reversal with 35 seconds left in the period to tie the score at 2-2. Anderson then picked up a reversal of his own and earned a pair of nearfall points at the end of the period. However, after a coach's challenge by head coach
Bryan Brunk, those nearfall points were taken off the board and Anderson held a 4-2 lead after the first.
Barnhart chose bottom and earned an escape point to pull within one at 4-3 late in the second. Despite spending the entirety of the third period on top and trying desperately to earn a tilt, Barnhart dropped a 4-3 decision against Anderson and moved into the consolation bracket.
Once in the consolation bracket, Barnhart took on Loras' Zeke Smith, who was seeded eighth in the bracket entering the day. Smith earned a first-period takedown, a third-period reversal, and a riding time point to claim the 5-0 decision over Barnhart, ending his 2021-22 campaign.
