Three members of the Alma College Wrestling team embarked on the Giant Center on Friday morning to participate in the 2015 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship hosted by Elizabethtown College (PA).
180 of the top Division III wrestlers all took to the mat on Friday morning, each looking to win two matches to advance to Saturday's action and earn All-American status.
At 157, Jr. Shawn Brewer (New Boston/Huron) was the first Scot to hit the mat in Hershey, taking on Steven DeWitt of Loras College (IA). After falling behind early, Brewer would fall to Dewitt to be sent to wrestle-backs. In the consolation round, Brewer would drop his second bout to be eliminated after an impressive performance in Hershey.
Sr. Jared Groeneveld (Allendale/Allendale) entered Friday with one thing on his mind - ending his Alma College wrestling career as an All-American.
Groenveld dropped his first bout against sixth-seeded Gerard Roman on Wartburg College (IA) in a 6-0 decision. The road did not get any easier for Jared in wrestle-backs, as he faced off against third-seeded Aaron Karns of Delaware Valley (DE) in the consolation round. Groeneveld fell to Karns 3-1 to end his collegiate career as a four-year captain and three-time scholar All-American.
The story of the afternoon was Jr. Trevor Maresh (Northville/Northville) at 285 pounds. Despite being unseeded, Maresh won his first round bout 7-6 against five-seeded Zach Roseberry of Delaware Valley.
In his next bout against Ben Nagle from Wartburg, Maresh was tied for nearly the entire match before a last-second slam would give Nagle the 5-2 victory in round two.
In wrestle-backs, Maresh had two options - win and become an All-American or lose and go home. With program history in the balance, Maresh would react in a major way, earning the 11-3 major decision victory over Matan Pelag of Ursinus College (PA). With the win, Maresh becomes the first Alma wrestling All-American since Dan Coon in 1983.
Maresh returned to action on Saturday, taking on seventh-seeded Anthony Edgren from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (WI) in the next round of wrestle-backs. The bout was nearly even throughout, with Maresh holding on to earn the 6-4 win in sudden-victory.
With an opportunity to advance to the third place match, Maresh then took on sixth-seeded James Bethel from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Bethel proved too much in the consolation round matchup, earning a fall victory in 4:43 to set up a rematch between Maresh and Ben Nagle from Friday's session.
Nagle would once again come out victorious, earning the 3-1 decision to put an end to Maresh's impressive run in Hershey. He finishes the 2015 NCAA Division III National Championships as the sixth ranked heavyweight wrestler in the country.
