Abner Romero of No. 2 Lindenwood wrestling won the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship title at 174 pounds.  The Lions as a team took third place at the championship tournament on Saturday at America's Center in St. Louis, Mo.
 
Lindenwood brought five wrestlers to the national championships, as no other team that finished inside the top five this year had fewer wrestlers.  All five Lions claimed All-American status, as Romero brings home the first individual title since Carlos Jacquez won the 125-pound title in 2019.
 
QUOTABLE | Abner Romero
"I predicted this," said the 174-pound champion Romero.  "A year ago today, I had this moment taken from me.  I know things were out of everyone's control, but everything happens for a reason.  This is not random, I worked harder than everyone else and just believed that I was better than everyone else.  I'm better than I was a year ago, and all the hard work I put in paid off.  I stayed ready so I didn't have to get ready."
 
QUOTABLE | Jimmy Rollins
"I am so proud of this coaching staff and this team," said head coach Jimmy Rollins.  "To bring five guys and put together the performance they did was amazing.  They wrestled for the team and not just themselves.  After how the NCAA handled things at our regional these guys went out with something to prove and brought back the first team trophy to Lindenwood in the NCAA era."
 
Abner Romero | 174 pounds | 1st Place | All-American
No. 1 Romero cruised through his semifinal round, as the Fresno, Calif. native compiled two takedowns as part of his 7-0 decision over Daniel Beemer of Ashland.  Romero took on No. 2 Trevor Turriff of Minnesota State, as the 174-pound bout was one of just two championship matches that featured the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked wrestlers in the country.
 
Romero was full go from the start of the championship match, as the Buchanan product powered his way to a takedown just 14 seconds into the match.  Romero controlled the entire first period, and carried that over to the second frame.  After choosing bottom position, Romero recorded a reversal with 1:35 to go as he continued to pile up riding time.  Romero capped off his bout with a takedown with just 12 seconds remaining to solidify the championship crown.  Romero outscored his four opponents in the tournament by a combined score of 44-4.
 
Ronnie Gentile | 157 pounds | 2nd Place | All-American
No. 3 Gentile earned a big victory in his semifinal match with a 4-3 decision over No. 2 Dawson Combest of UIndy.  The Paulsboro, N.Y. native utilized a takedown in the first period to take an early lead.  Gentile registered a takedown with just over one minute to go in his match, which proved to be the difference maker.  In the finals, the Paulsboro product surrendered a takedown in the first and another in the second to fall behind 5-3.  Gentile quickly tallied an escape to make it a two-point deficit, but the sophomore could not complete the comeback as he took second place.
 
Colby Smith | 141 pounds | 3rd Place | All-American
No. 2 Smith faced No. 1 Isiah Royal in the semifinal round, as it went down to the wire in the battle of the two best in the country.  Smith was down by one point late and made a push to tie the match, but it was too late as Smith suffered a 4-3 loss.  The Wentzville, Mo. native bounced back in the consolation semifinal match and earned a 3-1 decision.  A product of Holt, Smith capped of his season with a third-place finish after earning a 10-0 major decision over No. 3 Kelan McKenna of Notre Dame.
 
Gavin Londoff | 149 pounds | 3rd Place | All-American
No. 1 Londoff had a similar path to Smith, as the Lake St. Louis, Mo. native lost his semifinal match by just one point.  Londoff handled No. 6 Carson Speelman of Ashland in the consolation semifinals, and earned a 6-0 victory for a chance at third place.  A product of Holt, Londoff gave all he had left in the tank in the third-place bout, as he earned a 6-4 sudden victory over No. 5 Sam Turner of Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Tanner Hitchcock | 133 pounds | 7th Place | All-American
No. 6 Hitchcock lost in the third round of the consolation bracket, leaving him with one match left to fight for.  The Basehor, Kan. native won his final match of the year by a 3-2 decision over No. 11 Jacob Dunlop to take seventh place.
 
TEAM SCORES – Top Five
1. St. Cloud State (107.0)
2. Nebraska-Kearney (105.5)
3. Lindenwood (72.5)
4. West Liberty (72.0)
5. McKendree (71.5)