Graduate student Sheldon Seymour and sophomore Luke Stanich advanced to the championship quarterfinals at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, according to a March 19 update from Lehigh University. All six of Lehigh’s qualifiers will continue into day two of competition at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
The progress of Seymour and Stanich is significant for Lehigh, as it keeps the team in contention with a total of 13 points after the first day, placing them 12th overall. Seymour secured his spot in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year by defeating Iowa State’s Stevo Poulin with a close 5-4 decision at 125 pounds. He will next face Troy Spratley of Oklahoma State. Stanich reached his first career quarterfinal after an 11-2 major decision over Oklahoma’s Tyler Wells at 141 pounds, setting up a match against Anthony Echemendia of Iowa State.
Other Lehigh wrestlers faced challenges in their matches. Sophomore Logan Rozynski (157), senior Max Brignola (165), and junior Rylan Rogers (184) moved into consolation rounds following losses on Thursday evening. Senior Nathan Taylor kept his tournament hopes alive with a decisive 15-7 major decision over Trevor Tinker of Cal Poly at heavyweight.
Penn State leads the team standings with eight quarterfinalists and holds a narrow lead over Nebraska heading into day two. The championships will resume Friday at noon with session three, which includes both championship quarterfinals and two rounds of consolations. Coverage will be available on ESPNU and ESPN+.
The results reflect ongoing efforts by Lehigh wrestlers to advance through one of college wrestling’s most competitive tournaments this season.