Three Dutch wrestlers on to national meet
Central Dutch Athletics
DUBUQUE — For the third year in a row, the Central College wrestling team will be sending at least three student-athletes to the NCAA Division III Championships including a pair of first-time qualifiers after their performances at the NCAA Division III Lower Midwest Regional Sunday.
C.J. Pestano (125 pounds, senior, Torrance, Calif.), a two-time All-American, will be making his third appearance while Jeremy Vester (junior, 165 pounds, Oak Harbor, Wash.) and Nathan Fritz (sophomore, 174 pounds, Sigourney) will go for the first time.
Central was fourth in the 17-team field with 78.5 points, earning back-to-back top-four finishes for the Dutch after tying for third in 2017. Wartburg College won with 181.5.
“It was a tremendous day for the Dutch,” coach Eric Van Kley said. “We could not have wrestled any better over the last two days. It might be the best effort in relation to talent we’ve had in my 11 years at Central.”
Pestano was the only of the three to win his semifinal match and advance to the title match. He defeated Devon Jackson of the University of the Ozarks (Ark.) 12-6 in that semifinal match. He took second after conceding a medical forfeit in the title match.
“We were being overly cautious with him,” Van Kley said. “It was a minor injury and he easily could have wrestled but we want to make sure he’s at full strength for nationals in two weeks.”
Vester and Fritz both took the hard way to a top-three finish. Vester lost to the No. 1 seed in the semifinals before bouncing back with decisions against Bryce Scott (Coe College, 10-7) and Billy Poray (Luther College, 8-2) to punch his ticket.
Fritz was downed in the semifinals by the No. 2 seed before rebounding with a 10-2 major decision against Millikin University’s Jake Tisza. In the third-place match, Fritz won by a 6-4 decision against Samuel Schuler (Loras College) and gave Central its third qualifier.
“We knew both of those guys needed to wrestle at their best throughout the weekend,” Van Kley said. “They had to win two hard ones on the back side. They both earned their opportunities at the national tournament.”
Daniel Radcliffe (141-pounder, sophomore, Lockport, Ill., Lockport Township HS) finished a win short of a return trip to the national meet, taking fourth place and earning all-Iowa Conference distinction. 285-pounder Steven Candley (junior, Arlington, Texas, Martin HS) was 3-3 on the weekend and finished sixth.
“Daniel and Steven both won huge matches today,” Van Kley said. “I could not be more proud of our team top to bottom. I’m so proud of the toughness everyone on our team showed.”
The trio of Dutch wrestlers will wrestle for All-American status on March 9 and 10 in Cleveland, Ohio at the NCAA Division III Championships.
