GORHAM, Maine –  Senior Jake Peavey (South China, Manie/Erskine Academy) and freshman Jake Craig (Skowhegan, Maine) are headed to Roanoke, Va. (March 10-11) after punching their tickets to the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship following outstanding individual performances at the 2023 NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championship this weekend at the University of Southern Maine's Costello Sports Complex. USM sophomore Colby Frost (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle) earned All-Region honors at 149 lbs, placing fifth.
 
Becoming just the third freshman in Husky wrestling program history to claim a spot in the National Championship, Craig rumbled his way to a second place finish at 125 pounds.  Ranked fourth nationally by the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Coaches Poll and the D3Wrestle.com Poll, Craig went 3-1 in his first regional tournament. He opened his tourney debut with a 1:51 win by fall over Hunter College's Diego Colon-Perez and then defeated WPI's Tanner Thatcher, by decision 7-0, to earn a spot in the championship semifinal.  Squaring off against his semifinal opponent Joey Manginelli of Springfield College, ranked ninth nationally by the NWCA, Craig worked his way to a 3-0 decision, and a guaranteed spot in Nationals.  In the championship round, Craig faced the number one wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds in Johnson & Wales Joziah Fry.  In a competitive match, Craig fell 9-6 to finish second overall.
 
Booking his return trip to Nationals after qualifying for the first time in 2022, Peavey dominated his competition posting a 4-0 record to claim the title of 2023 NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Champion (285 lb). Ranked ninth nationally by the NWCA, Peavey earned his spot in the championship semifinal with back-to-back wins by fall, putting Rhode Island College's Michael Alfsono to the mat in 2:31 and US Merchant Marine Academy's Reid Garrison down in 1:03. 
 
Peavey advanced out of the championship semifinal to earn a shot at the regional championship defeating New York University's Evan Anderson in a hard-won 2-1 decision.  In the championship match, Peavey came out strong and earned a 29 second win by fall over Coast Guard's Carl DiGiorgio.  
 
Frost, who placed third at 149 pounds, bouncing back from an opening round loss and winning the next five matches to become just the second USM freshman to earn a bid to the national championship tournament in 2022, earned a fifth place spot to earn All-Region honors for the second time in his career.  Frost opened his tournament with a win by fall over Western New England's Jimmy Barrett in 4:15 and then earned a spot in the championship semifinal defeating Williams' Caleb Seyfried by decision 6-2.  Frost lost his semifinal match 4-2 to Springfield's Chase Parrot and then dropped a 10-2 major decision match to AJ Pagliarulo in the consolation semifinals.  Frost bounced back, however, to win fifth place with a pin over Castleton's Nicholas Roeger. 
 
As a team, Southern Maine finished in a tie for seventh place with 60.5 points.  Nineteen teams competed in the regional championship.  Johnson & Wales University placed first with 175.5 points.
 
Team Scores (FINAL): 1. Johnson & Wales 175.5  2. Coast Guard 145.5  3. Springfield 112.5  4. Castleton  110.5  5. New York University  99.5  6. Trinity 71.5  T7. Southern Maine  60.5  T7. Williams 60.5  9. Wesleyan 56.5  10. Roger Williams  48  11. WPI 44  12. Norwich 42.5  13. US Merchant Marine Academy 42  14. Rhode Island College 39 15. Bridgewater State 37.0  16. Western New England 35.5  17. New England College 11.0  18. Plymouth State 5.5  19. Hunter College 2.5
 
Outstanding Wrestler – Nathan Lackman, Rhode Island College
Northeast Region Coach of the Year – Lonnie Morris, Johnson & Wales
Northeast Regional Tournament Coach – Lonnie Morris, Johnson & Wales
Staff Person of the Year – Brian Allen, Johnson & Wales
Most Pins, Least Time – Myles Leonard, Springfield College
 

NCAA DIII Regional Northeast Results for Southern Me.

125 Jake Craig  - Second Place – National Qualifier, All Region
Champ. Round 1 – Jake Craig (SM) pinned Diego Colon Perez (Hunter), 1:51
Quarterfinal  - Craig (SM) dec. Tanner Thatcher (WPI), 7-0
Semifinal – Craig (SM) dec. Joey Manginelli (Spr), 3-0
CHAMPIONSHIP – Joziah Fry (JWU) dec. Jake Craig (SM), 9-6
 
133 Ethan Ford
Champ. Round 1 – Ethan Ford (SM) major dec. Dylan King (Norwich), 12-0
Quarterfinal – Gabriel Leo-Esparolini (JWU) dec. Ford (SM), 6-5
Cons. Round 2 – John Lafferty (NEC) pinned Ford (SM), 4:41
 
141 Aidan Robichaud
Prelim – Aidan Robichaud (SM) dec. Daijhawn Hudson (NEC), 9-3
Champ. Round 1 – Nate Fitt (Coast Guard) pinned Aidan Robichaud (SM), 2:09
Cons. Round 1 – Aidan Robichaud (SM) pinned Jizaiah Lopes (BSU), 6:07
Cons. Round 2 – Joseph Parson (Spr) major dec. Robichaud (SM), 16-4
 
149  Colby Frost – Fifth Place – All-Region
Champ. Round 1 – Colby Frost (SM) pinned Jimy Barrett (WNEU), 4:15
Quarterfinal – Frost (SM) dec. Caleb Seyfriend (Williams), 6-2
Semifinal – Chase Parrot (Spr) dec. Frost (SM), 4-2
Cons. Semifinal – A.J. Pagliarulo (CGA) major dec. Frost (SM), 10-2
FIFTH PLACE MATCH – Colby Frost (SM) pinned Nicholas Roeger (CU), 9:00
 
157 Jeremy Sendrowski  
Champ. Round 1 – Jashon Holmes (Castleton) dec. Jeremy Sendrowski (SM), 8-3
Cons. Round 1 – Michael Hopkins (BSU) dec. Sendrowski (SM), 6-4
 
165 Tyler Haynes
Champ. Round 1 – Kevin Lyskawa (Trinity) dec. Tyler Haynes (SM), 7-3
Cons. Round 1 – Tyler Haynes (SM) dec. Joshua Ducharme (Nor) 3-2
Cons. Round 2 – Mario Barberio (WPI) pinned Haynes (SM), 1:17
 
174 AJ Robinson
Prelim – Jaylen Hawkins (WNEU) pinned AJ Robinson (SM), 3:49
Prelim – Joseph Wasilewski (USMMA) dec. Robinson (SM), 9-7
 
184 Magnus Heisler
Prelim – Griffin Ostrom (WNEU) tech fall Magnus Heisler (SM), 15-0 (7:00)
Champ Round 1 – David McCullough (Coast Guard) tech fall Magnus Heisler (SM), 16-0 (3:39)
 
197 Anthony Mears
Champ. Round 1 – Dylan Harr (JWU) pinned Anthony Mears (SM), 4:40
Cons. Round 1 – Dean Omirly (Wes) pinned Mears (SM), 4:44
 
285 Jake Peavey – CHAMPION – All-Region
Champ. Round 1 – Jake Peavey (SM) pinned Michael Alfonso (RIC), 2-1
Quarterfinal – Jake Peavey (SM) pinned Reid Garrison (USMMA), 1:03
Semifinal – Jake Peavey (SM) dec. Evan Anderson (NYU), 2-1
CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH – Jake Peavey (SM) pinned Carl DiGiorgio (CGA), 0:29
 

–cac–