Willimantic’s Jo Jo Gonzalez qualified for the NCAA Division II tournament for the thirds straight year on Saturday with a win at the Super Region I tournament in Johnstown, Pa. (Photo courtesy AIC Sports Information)
JOHNSTOWN, Pa., Feb. 26, 2022 – Willimantic’s Jo Jo Gonzalez is making another run at a NCAA Division II championship. The former Ellis Tech star qualified for his third consecutive NCAA Division II national championship meet with a third straight Super Region I championship Saturday.
Gonzalez went 3-0 in the tournament and won the title at 157 pounds with an 8-4 win over Nick Young of Gannon. Gonzalez had three takedowns in the win. In his 5-3 win over Mercyhurst’s Max Stedeford, Gonzalez had an early takedown to take control of the bout and had a second takedown with 1:45 remaining to snap a 2-2 tie and take a two-point lead.
Gonzalez is the only AIC wrestler to earn a spot at the NCAA Division II nationals. Top three wrestlers in each weight class earned automatic bids.
AIC’s Tommy Nichols (Bristol) finished fourth after getting pinned in 4:20 by Gannon’s Dominic Means in the consolation final at 149 pounds. AIC’s Sean Johnson (Ashford) finished fifth at 141 pounds. Johnson, the top seed, was upset in the semifinals by Joel Cawoski of Seton Hill, 3-2 thanks to an escape with 45 seconds remaining.
Pittsburgh-Johnstown had three individual champions and won their 24th regional championship with 147 points. Gannon was second, 17½ off the pace. AIC finished eighth in the field. Caleb Morris (141), Jacob Early (149) and Dillon Keane (165 won for the Mountain Hawks.
2022 NCAA Division II
Super Regional 1
At Johnstown, Pa.
Team results – 1. Pittsburgh-Johnstown 147, 2. Gannon (PA) 129½ , 3. Kutztown (PA) 110½, 4. Mercyhurst (PA) 99½ , 5. Millersville (PA) 82, 6. Seton Hill (PA) 63½ , 7. Alderson Broaddus (WV) 49½ , 8. AIC 48½ , 9. Shippensburg (PA) 32, 10. East Stroudsburg (PA) 25, 11. Fairmont State (WV) 3
Individual results
125: Final — Jacob Dunlop (Gannon) dec. Tyshawn White (Shippensburg) 6-2; 3. Matt Siszka (Pitt-Johnstown) pin Frank Bonura (Seton Hill) 2:58; 5. Matt Wilde (Kutztown) dec. Jerry Echevarria (American Int`l) 6-4 OT
133: Final — Collin Wickramaratna (Kutztown) dec. Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst) 8-5; 3. Devin Flannery (Millersville) dec. William Burgess (Seton Hill) 7-3
141: Final — Caleb Morris (Pitt-Johnstown) tech fall Joel Cawoski (Seton Hill) 18-1, 6:39; 3. Alexis Soriano (Mercyhurst) dec. Kevin Fenstermacher (Kutztown) 2-0; 5. Sean Johnson (American Int`l) medical forfeit over Deandre Reed (Shippensburg)
149: Final — Jacob Ealy (Pitt-Johnstown) pin Josh Laubach (Alderson Broaddus) 2:58: 3. Dominic Means (Gannon) pin Tommy Nichols (American Int`l) 4:20
157: Final — Baltazar Gonzalez (American Int`l) dec. Nick Young (Gannon) 8-4; 3. Nathan Smith (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Max Stedeford (Mercyhurst) 6-2
165: Final — Dillon Keane (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Brandon Connor (Millersville) 8-0; 3. Evan Fisler (Gannon) dec. Ethan Baney (Kutztown) 5-4
174: Final — Joseph Petrella (Gannon) dec. Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst) 3-1 OT; 3. Brock Biddle (Pitt-Johnstown) dec. Anthony Yacovetti (Millersville) 4-1
184: Final — Matt Weinberg (Kutztown) dec. Anthony Giampietro (Millersville) 7-2; 3. Cam Page (Gannon) dec. Brandon Matthews (Seton Hill) 10-2
197: Final — Brian Kennerly (Kutztown) dec. Joel Leise (Gannon) 15-6; 3. Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus) pin Hunter Harnish (Mercyhurst) 2:23\
285: Final — Andrew Dunn (Kutztown) dec. Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst) 3-1,OT; 3. Freddie Nixon (Gannon) dec. Ogden Atwood (Pitt-Johnstown) 2-1, 3 OT
2022 NCAA Div. II: Super Region 1 (tournament, brackets)
