Marauders seek national bids at Super Region 1 Championships

Saturday, February 25

East Stroudsburg, PA

Millersville University

NCAA Super Region 1 Championships

Marauders seek national bids at Super Region 1 Championships

2/22/2023 9:09:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Ethan Hulsey, Director of Athletic Communications

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ABOUT THE SUPER REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships ride on the wrestlers' performances at Saturday's NCAA Super Region 1 Championships hosted by East Stroudsburg. Millersville has one wrestler competing in each of the 10 weight classes, three of whom were national qualifiers in 2022.
Wrestlers must place in the top three of their respective weight classes to advance to the NCAA Championships. Super Region 1 is loaded with four of the teams ranked in the top 17 nationally. Sixteen wrestlers in the field are ranked in the NWCA's top 12 Division II individual rankings. Millersville is one of those nationally-ranked teams, coming tied for 15th in the latest ranking. Two of those ranked individuals are Marauders as well, with Devin Flannery ranked No. 4 at 133 pounds and Craig Cook ranked fifth at 149.
Pitt-Johnstown is the defending team champion. Gannon finished as the runner-up in 2022.
Live results are available through TrackWrestling.com. Visit East Stroudsburg's tournament website for live links and information. Admission for spectators is $15 for all sessions, $10 for students, seniors and first responders. A one session pass is $10 for adults and $5 for students.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

Millersville placed fifth at the 2022 Super Region 1 Championships and did so with six wrestlers placing in the top six. Brandon Connor (runner-up at 165), Flannery (third at 133) and Jonathan Parrilla (fifth at 157) will be back in the lineup Saturday. Craig Cook is no stranger to the postseason. He was the NCAA Super Region 3 champ in 2022, but this is his first season in Super Region 1 after transferring to Millersville from Davis & Elkins. Cook is already a three-time national qualifier.
Cook faces a stiff challenge to finish in the top three. Three of the nation's top five wrestlers at 149 pounds are in Super Region 1. Jacoby Ealy of Pitt-Johnstown and Nick Young from Gannon are ranked No. 1 and No. 2. Cook has seen both already this season. He was pinned in the third period by Ealy and lost 5-1 to Young. The good news for Cook is that he did not lose a single match to another Division II wrestler in the 149 pound class all season. His record entering the championships is 18-6, but against non-D1 wrestlers at 149, Cook went 12-2.
Flannery ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation for much of the season before slipping down the rankings in recent weeks. He boasts a 26-3 record, with two of those losses coming against Division I opponents, and one of those two were in the 141-pound class. Flannery's lone DII loss of the season is against a wrestler he will likely see on Saturday. Mercyhurst's Eric Bartos, now ranked No. 2 nationally with a 25-2 record. That match between Bartos and Flannery ended in a 4-3 decision. Flannery trailed 3-0 before an escape and takedown tied the match in the final minute. Bartos escaped for the deciding point. Bartos is 2-0 in his career vs. Flannery, but the matches have been decided by a total of three points. Flannery leads the Marauders with seven pins and six tech falls.
Connor enters the championships with an 18-5 record but has just two losses against Division II opponents, both of whom are in his bracket Saturday. Pitt-Johnstown's Dillon Keane and Connor have a long history with the duo meeting in last year's super region championship bout (Keane won 8-0). Connor exacted some revenge at the NCAA Championships with an 8-3 victory over Keane. Keane holds a 3-1 edge in the head-to-head meetings and is ranked No. 11 nationally. Gannon's Alex Farenchak is the only other DII wrestler with a win against Connor. Farenchak is ranked No. 3 in DII and is undefeated on the season. Connor ranks second on the team with six pins.
Parrilla is looking to sneak into the top three. Slowed by injuries this season, he's 11-9 but 2-4 against Super Region 1 opponents. At 125 pounds, Bryce Beatty could surprise. He's 9-8 overall and 3-3 against Super Region 1 opponents. He also has a knack for striking quickly, scoring six pins on the season. His bracket is wide open as no Super Region 1 wrestler in the class is nationally ranked. Tim Uhler makes his postseason debut at 141 pounds, and that bracket, too, lacks top-end firepower. Uhler posted a 10-7 record and an 8-4 mark in duals this season. He went 4-3 in duals against PSAC opponents, and all three losses were close decisions. Bishop McCoy won two matches at the championships as a freshman in 2022. He's 7-8 this season with three pins but went 2-3 against Super Region 1 opponents in duals. He is coming off an impressive 21-5 tech fall over Mercyhurst's Michael DeLuca.
Also making their postseason debuts are Andrew Vogelbacher (174), Braden Newby (184), and Lucas Doyle (197).