The Stevens Ducks wrestling team, ranked eighth in Division Three (D-III), and junior Brett Kaliner clinched the MAC Conference Championship over a month ago. Following this triumph, the team continues to work and get the victories in before their NCAA D-III tournament this upcoming weekend.
Last week, Stevens sent their young Ducks to Allentown, Pennsylvania to test their strength in The Futures Tournament. Freshmen, Trevor Mastorio, Liam Walker, and Arjun Khatri, and sophomore Joe Schneider battled their hearts out. The probability of them participating in the NCAA tournament is unlikely, but these Ducks put their strength and power to the test.
Mastorio, at 141 pounds, notched two victories in the winners bracket by two decisions; however, he lost in the semifinal and then lost in the losers bracket. Liam Walker, at 149 pounds, lost his first match, and traveled to the losers bracket, where he was able to triumph over one opponent before falling.
For Khatri, at 125 pounds, the draw went fantastic. Khatri won by a fall and a decision in the winners bracket, but later lost and fell to the losers bracket. This is where Khatri truly showed his strength. He dominated with two more victories as he clinched the third place spot for his weight class in the tournament.
As for sophomore Schneider, at 149 pounds, he won his first three matches of the tournament. His first was by a technical fall and the last two were decisions, but he fell in the semifinals. Similar to Khatri, Schneider, with a fall and a decision, won the loser bracket and clinched third place for his weight class.
These four students proved their resilience and their strength as their season continues on. The D-III NCAA Tournament begins this weekend and the likelihood of these athletes participating is unlikely; yet, this tournament shows that the Ducks have strong wrestlers for the future.
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