Wrestling Wraps Up Competition at 2016 NCAA Championships

Friday, March 18

Madison Square Garden - New York., N.Y.

All Day

Drexel University

NCAA Championships

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Wrestling Wraps Up Competition at 2016 NCAA Championships

3/18/2016 8:46:00 PM | Wrestling

FINAL BRACKETS    |    FINAL TEAM SCORES

NEW YORK - The Drexel wrestling team wrapped up competition at the 2016 NCAA Championships on Friday evening. Out of the three Dragons that competed at Madison Square Garden, two qualified for the second day of competition with Matthew Cimato reaching the round of 12.

Cimato, seeded fourth at 149 pounds, advanced through the championship rounds to the quarterfinals but was halted there with a win-by-fall from No. 5 Alec Pantaleo of Michigan. In his first consolation match, he lost a 7-4 decision to No. 10 Mike DePalma of Kent State and was eliminated from competition just one win shy of securing All-American status.

Cimato had arrived at day two of competition after securing two wins on day one of the NCAA Tournament. In his first match, he earned a 9-3 win over John Fahy of SIUE. Cimato went ahead 2-0 early with a takedown and then in the second period combined a reversal and a near fall to take an 8-0 lead. Fahy was able to pick up a reversal at the end of the second and an escape to start the third, but Cimato would hold on and tack on a point for riding time to earn a 9-3 victory that would advance him to the round of 16.

In his second match of the championship rounds, Cimato and Arizona State's Matthew Kraus were knotted up at 1-1 with a minute and a half left in the third period. Cimato came through with a takedown with just over 20 seconds remaining to take a 3-1 lead. A stalling penalty gave Kraus a point back, but Cimato was able to hold him off in the final seconds to secure a 3-2 win and advance to the quarterfinals.

Heavyweight Joey Goodhart was eliminated on the second day of competition in his first match of the consolation rounds as he lost a 7-3 decision to Cleveland State's Riley Shaw. Goodhart had advanced to day two after he received a forfeit in his first match of the tournament from Northern Iowa's No. 14 Blaize Cabell to move on to the round of 16. There he fell by major decision to the third-seeded Ty Walz of Virginia Tech which sent him to the wrestlebacks, where he ultimately fell to Shaw.

Zack Fuentes was eliminated after day one of competition after he dropped a 14-3 major decision to No. 13 Tim Lambert of Nebraska in his opening match and then was edged in sudden victory by Brent Fleetwood of Central Michigan in the wrestlebacks.

Cimato finishes the season with a 36-7 overall record and ties for fourth all-time in single season victories. Goodhart concludes the year at 25-14 overall, while Fuentes finishes the season at 22-14.

2016 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
125: No. 13 Tim Lambert (Nebraska) MAJ Zack Fuentes (DU), 14-3
    Brent Fleetwood (Central Michigan) DEC Zack Fuentes (DU), 3-1 (SV-1)

149: No. 4 Matthew Cimato (DU) DEC John Fahy (SIUE), 9-3
          No.4 Matthew Cimato (DU) DEC No. 13 Matthew Kraus (Arizona State), 3-2
          No. 5 Alec Pantaleo (Michigan) WBF No. 4 Matthew Cimato (DU) @3:49
          No. 10 Mike DePalma (Kent State) DEC No. 4 Matthew Cimato (DU), 7-4

285: Joey Goodhart (DU) def. No. 14 Blaize Cabell (Northern Iowa) by forfeit
          No. 3 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) MAJ Joey Goodhart (DU), 16-5
          Riley Shaw (Cleveland State) DEC Joey Goodhart (DU), 7-3