The No. 9 Lindenwood wrestling team advanced three wrestlers to the second day of the NCAA Division II National Championships, including No. 1
Carlos Jacquez and
Danny Swan who will wrestle in the semifinals on Saturday. No. 10
Gavin Londoff went 3-1 on Friday and will compete in the consolation quarterfinals in Cleveland, Ohio.
Jacquez defeated his opponent with ease in a 13-3 major decision at 125 pounds. The Aurora, Ill native clinched All-American status after defeating No. 9 Brendan Howard of Pitt-Johnstown by a 10-6 decision in the quarterfinals. Swan made a statement in his first clash of the day at 141 pounds. Swan needed 2:39 seconds to pin No. 7 Eduardo Penha of Colorado Mesa in the opening round. In his second match of the day, Swan upset No. 2 Joey Alessandro of Pitt-Johnstown in a 10-6 victory to earn All-American status.
Londoff was the first bout of the day as he took care of his opponent 8-1 in the 149-pound weight class. The Wentzville Holt product scored his second win of the day with a 6-2 decision in the first round of the championship bracket. Londoff gave No. 1 Chris Eddins a fight, but eventually fell by a 3-1 decision in the quarterfinals. The Lake St. Louis native stayed alive and earned All-American status with a victory over No. 11 Chase Clasen by a 4-0 margin in his final match of the day.
No. 8
Tanner Hitchcock scored a gritty 6-3 victory over his first opponent in the opening round of the 133-pound weight class. Hitchcock's weekend came to an end after back-to-back losses to No. 5 Tate Barnhardt and No. 10 Garrett Vos in the two matches to follow. No. 7
Kyle Jolas opened the day with a 2-0 win in his first match, but would fell to No. 2 Rodney Sheppard in the next round. Jolas met a familiar opponent, Dan Fillipek of McKendree in the following round, but was eliminated from the tournament via 10-5 decision.
No. 8
Courvoisier Morrow was in a tight match to open his weekend, but the 285-pounder got two late takedowns in the third period to pull out a 5-2 win. Morrow struggled with No. 4 Andrew Dunn as he fell in an 8-2 decision, sending him to the consolation bracket. The Indianapolis, Ind. native went to overtime with his next opponent, but it ended in a 2-1 loss in his final match to the tournament.
Jared McKindley fought hard in his two matches, but was eliminated after his second bout of the day.
After the first round of matches, Lindenwood had five of its seven wrestlers advance to the quarterfinal round in their respective weight classes. Heading into the second day, just three wrestlers have a chance to continue scoring points for Lindenwood. Jacquez and Swan will look to advance to the finals if they are victorious in their next match. Londoff will open up Saturday in the consolation quarterfinals, with a chance to take third place when the tournament ends. Lindenwood is currently in eighth place after posting a team score of 27.0.
