Altieri’s Earns Nationals Berth with Bronze
William Penn University Athletics
Marshall, Mo.–John Altieri (Fr., Warwick, R.I., Sociology) will go for national glory in two weeks after qualifying at the NAIA Central Qualifying Group Tournament Saturday.
The freshman 125-pounder placed third to collect an automatic bid. He lost his first match, but then bounced back with two wins (one by fall) to advance to the NAIA National Championships in Topeka, Kan. on March 4-5.
Five other Statesmen also placed Saturday, headlined by fifth-place efforts from 157-pounder Austinn Goin (Fr., Belton, Mo., Exercise Science) and 184-pounder Cody Jones (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology). Goin topped William Penn with four wins (4-2 overall, one pin), while Jones finished 3-2.
Fabian Rodriguez (Fr., Manassas, Va., Business Management), at 141, and Bryan Pittman (Sr., Flossmoor, Ill., Information Technology), at 149, were both 2-3 on the day for sixth-place showings. 184-pounder Chris Rodriguez (Fr., Tampa, Fla., Sociology) wrapped up the event with a 1-2 mark to also take home sixth place.
Christian Padilla (Sr., Tampa, Fla., Secondary Education) pinned one opponent at 157 pounds, while Jeremy Andujar (So., Tampa, Fla., Biology) notched a win at 133 pounds as well.
As a team, WPU placed fifth in the nine-squad standings with 61.5 points. Grand View won the title with 223 points. GVU’s Tanner Werner was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler, while Head Coach Nick Mitchell claimed Regional Coach of the Year honors.
