Regionals loom with Pestano atop 125-pound wrestling class
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — C.J. Pestano (senior, Torrance, Calif.) kept a firm grasp on the No. 1 spot at 125 pounds in this week’s National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll as the Central College wrestling team prepares for the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional this weekend in Dubuque.
As a team, Central moved down to the 25th and final spot in the rankings.
Pestano is the only 125-pound wrestler in the Lower Midwest Regional in the top-10. He is 24-0 overall this season and 16-0 against wrestlers from schools within the region. He’s won nine matches by fall or technical fall and racked up 10 major decisions.
The two-time All-American captured a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2016 and a fourth-place finish a year ago.
Iowa Conference rivals Wartburg College, Loras College and Coe College remain in this week’s top-10 at No. 1, No. 5and No. 7, respectively. Pestano is among 15 conference wrestlers ranked in the top-10 at their weight classes.
The two-day regional features 17 teams from Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska. Preliminary and first round action begins Saturday at 1 p.m. inside the Five Flags Center in Dubuque.
