By Harrison LaLone, Sports Information student assistant

Crawfordsville, Ind. - Sophomore Brendan Ladd (Ortonville, Mich./Brandon) of the Alma College wrestling team qualified for NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships with a third-place finish in the 141-pound bracket at the NCAA III Central Regional at Wabash College on Saturday (Feb. 24). This is Ladd's first national tournament berth and the fourth straight year that the Scots will be sending a competitor to the national championships. 

Senior Taylor McPhail (Muskegon, Mich./Mona Shores) placed fifth in the region at 197 pounds, a performance that, when coupled with his academic prowess, earned him his fourth Scholar All-American Award.

As a team, Alma finished 13th out of 18 teams.

What Happened for Ladd

• After posting a 2-0 record on the first day of competition at 141 pounds, Ladd opened Saturday's competition dropping a major decision to the eventual winner of the weight class, Chase Wilson of Manchester University (IN). Wilson entered the competition ranked ninth in the nation in the latest d3wrestle.com poll.
• Ladd regained his momentum in wrestlebacks, pinning seventh-ranked Jarrod Brezovec of John Carroll University (OH) in just 60 seconds to advance to the third-place match.
• Ladd battled 10th-ranked Alec Cotton from the University of Mount Union (OH) in a tight third-place bout. Entering the third period tied at 2-2, Ladd started down, giving Cotton the possibility of winning via riding time. Ladd escaped with time to spare to earn his third point and punch his ticket to the national championships.

What Happened for McPhail

• In the 197-pound class, Taylor McPhail opened Saturday's competition by pinning Heidelberg University's (OH) Chase Morrison in just 49 seconds.
• With a chance to wrestle for third place, McPhail encountered 19th-ranked Ken Burrs of Waynesburg University (PA). McPhail would suffer a 6-3 loss, despite several chances to score late, dropping him into the fifth-place match.
• In the fifth-place bout, McPhail ended it quickly, pinning Gavin Dersch-Fisher of Case Western Reserve University (OH) in under two minutes.

Up Next

Brendan Ladd will represent Alma College at the NCAA III Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, on Friday and Saturday, March 9-10. Baldwin Wallace University will be the host for the event, which will take place at the Cleveland Public Auditorium.

Individual Results

141 - #16 Brendan Ladd - Third Place

#9 Chase Wilson (Manchester) won by major decision over #16 Brendan Ladd (Alma) (MD 12-3)
#16 Brendan Ladd (Alma) won by fall over #7 Jarrod Brezovec (John Carroll) (Fall 1:00)
#16 Brendan Ladd (Alma) won by decision over #10 Alec Cotton (Mount Union) 30-9 (Dec 3-2)

197 - #14 Taylor McPhail - Fifth Place

#14 Taylor McPhail (Alma) won by fall over Chase Morrison (Heidelberg) (Fall 0:49)
#19 Ken Burrs (Waynesburg) won by decision over #14 Taylor McPhail (Alma) (Dec 6-3)
#14 Taylor McPhail (Alma College) won by fall over Gavin Dersh-Fisher (Case Western Reserve University) (Fall 1:42)