EWING, N.J. – The Messiah University Wrestling team concluded action at the 2026 NCAA Division III Region III Championships on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Falcons finished third as a team with 133.5 points behind Regional Champion TCNJ (174 pts) and NYU (140 points). Two Falcons punched their tickets to the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship.
Keegan Demarest (165 lbs.) and
Zach Needles (174 lbs.) punched their tickets after finishing first and third,
respectively.
As mentioned,
Keegan Demarest and
Zach Needles will make the trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in two weeks, to compete on Friday, March 13 at the NCAA DIII National Championship. Return to gomessiah.com for more information to be released the week of March 8.
Ticket Punched to Nationals
Keegan Demarest earned a spot in the 165 lbs. championship bout following a 17-3 major decision over Beknazar Baiyshbekov of Albright College in the semifinals. The pair were tied after the first before Demarest took a 6-1 lead with two second-period takedowns. He added an escape and three takedowns in the third to secure a spot in the championship bout and guarantee a spot at Nationals. Demarest faced familiar foe Justice Hockenberyy-Folk of Elizabethtown in the championship. Demarest tallied a pair of takedowns and an escape to hold a 7-3 lead after the first. He added a reversal in the second before a pair of takedowns and riding time point in the third gave him a 16-3 major decision, finishing as the NCAA DIII Region III Champion.
At 174 lbs.,
Zach Needles opened his day in the semifinals with a loss via last second fall to Ty Finn of NYU to drop to the consolation bracket. Needles earned a spot in the third-place bout after a 12-8 decision over Misericordia's Anthony Matas. The pair were tied with just over a minute remaining in the bout before Needles secured an escape and a takedown to earn the win and advance with a chance of making Nationals. Needles faced Anthony Cerulli of Ursinus and trailed 6-3 after two periods. Needles opened the third with a reversal and four-count nearfall to take a 9-6 lead. Cerulli scored a reversal before a late reversal and three nearfall count gave Needles the 14-9 decision, punching his ticket to Nationals.
Podium Finishes
At 157 lbs.,
Noah Rice battled top-seeded Trent Mahoney of Albright College in the semifinals. Mahoney won the close battle 5-3 to send Rice to the consolation bracket. Rice secured a 4-0 decision over Colin Menier of TCNJ to secure a spot in the third-place bout, still looking for a chance to head to Nationals. Rice dropped his bout to Gettysburg's Gavin Pascoe via 15-3 major decision to finish fourth.
Austin Brass dropped his opening bout at 184 lbs. to top-seeded Gannon Smith of Elizabethtown via fall to drop to the consolation bracket. He secured a spot in the third-place bout after an 11-0 major decision over Luke Theis of TCNJ. Brass faced conference foe James Lledo of Arcadia. Lledo secured a takedown and was quick to earn the fall, with Brass finishing fourth.
At 133 lbs.,
Caiden Heller earned the win in his first bout of the day to guarantee a spot on the podium. Heller earned a 13-1 major decision over Torey Falkinburg of Gettysburg, tallying three takedowns in the victory. In his second bout, Heller lost via fall against York's Vincent Paolucci to drop to the fifth-place match. Heller finished fifth after securing a 9-3 decision over Eastern's Jackson Orrell. Orell led 3-0 after the first before Heller took a 4-3 lead after nearfall points in the second and never looked back.
At 197 lbs.,
Tucker Seidel earned a 4-2 decision over Muhlenberg's Ryan Fairchild to open the day before dropping his second bout to Will Davis of Elizabethtown via 9-4 decision to drop to the fifth-place bout. Seidel faced Tyler Withers of Merchant Marine and took an early 7-3 lead with a takedown, reversal, and two nearfall points. He added an escape and takedown in the third to secure the 11-4 decision and finish fifth.
Jacob Cunningham earned a win at 141 lbs. to open Day Two, earning the 8-2 decision over Elizabethtown's Owen Heffner. Cunningham then dropped his bout against Andrew Schaen of Ursinus via 5-2 decision to earn a spot in the fifth-place bout. In the fifth-place bout, Cunningham and Alvernia's Quinn Tobin were scoreless through the first. Tobin took the lead with a takedown in the second before Cunningham opened the third with a reversal. Tobin escaped before taking control of the bout and securing the 12-2 major decision, with Cunningham finishing sixth.
Levi Snyder opened his day at 149 lbs. with a close battle against Arcadia's Caden Frost. Frost secured a 4-1 sudden victory in overtime to send Snyder to the seventh-place bout. Snyder finished seventh after claiming a 5-3 decision over Freddy Pimental of Johns Hopkins. Pimental led 3-0 after the first but Snyder secured a pair of escapes and a takedown for the win.
Up Next
Keegan Demarest and
Zach Needles will make the trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa in two weeks, to compete on Friday, March 13 at the NCAA DIII National Championship. Return to gomessiah.com for more information to be released the week of March 8.
