GORHAM, Maine  -  A year after hosting the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Wrestling Championship, the University of Southern Maine Huskies are gearing up to head to Worcester, Mass., and the campus of WPI for the 2024 edition of the regional championship held at WPI's Sports and Recreation Center March 2-3.
The 2024 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship will feature ~200 wrestlers from 20 NCAA Division III programs vying for the NCAA Regional Championship team title, and individual berths into the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament held March 15-16 in La Crosse, Wisconsin at the La Crosse Center. Individually, the top three finishers in each of the 10 weight classes will earn a spot in the National Championship.

Five teams ranked in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA) poll will be participating in the upcoming regional championship, including No. 5 Coast Guard, No. 9 Johnson & Wales, No. 11 Castleton, No. 13 New York University and No. 23 Williams College. 

Seven 2023 NCAA Division III All-American return to the fray this tournament, including the Huskies' own sophomore Jake Craig (Skowhegan, Maine).  Qualifying for the NCAA National Championship as a freshman, Craig finished fourth nationally at 125 in 2023.  Currently ranked eighth nationally at 125 by NWCA, Craig is rated fourth by the New England Wrestling Association, and is one of six Huskies ranked in region heading into the championship event.

Junior Colby Frost (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle), a 2022 NCAA National Championship qualifier, is ranked third at 149 lbs by NEWA, and is ranked 14^th nationally in the latest NWCA poll.   Frost is 17-2 this season, and has won his last 13 bouts consecutively.  Both of Frost's losses were overtime decisions against national contenders, including an 8-5 overtime loss to No. 7 Nate Fitt of Coast Guard.  Frost has earned All-Region honors each of his previous two seasons, placing fifth in 2023, and third in 2022.

Senior Ethan Ford (North Andover, Mass.) enters the tourney ranked fifth in region and is listed as a contender at 133 lbs by D3wrestle.com.  Currently 19-4 and riding a 13-bout win streak, Ford earned All-Region honors in 2022.  Along with Ford, Frost and Craig, are regionally-ranked Huskies looking to make their mark: freshman Kyle Moore (Kennebunk, Maine/Division Avenue (NY)) and juniors Kaleb Pool (Tucson, Arizona) and Anthony Mears (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic).

Wrestling at 197, Mears finished eighth in region as a freshman to earn All-Region honors. Mears is currently ranked eighth by NEWA in his weight class.  Competing at 157, Pool is 18-7 this season, and is ranked eighth by NEWA.  Pool is coming off of consecutive wins in dual meet competition, including a match-winning technical fall against Norwich to secure the Huskies' program record 10^th consecutive win and a 14-6 record in dual meets. Posting a solid rookie season so far, Moore is also eighth in the region at 141 lbs and has a 17-9 record heading into the regional championship.
 
Action will begin on at 10:00 am on Saturday with the opening round of competition and conclude with the consolation second and third rounds, wrapping up at approximately 7:30 pm. Sunday's championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals will start at 10:00 am and continue through the championship and third/fourth place matches beginning at approximately 3:30 pm.  Following the championship events, will be an awards ceremony.
 

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 2024 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship Spectator Information

Admission
The admission price for the tournament will be single day tickets - $10 for adults, $5 for students/seniors, and children 5 and under are free. All spectators and those not receiving credentials are required to purchase a ticket. There will be no cash available for ticket sales as we will be using Hometown Ticketing
 
Adult - $10
Senior Citizen - $5
Student - $5
Children under 12 - $5
Children 5 and under – Free
 
Hometown Ticketing is a ticketing system with two options to make purchases, a desktop version or an IOS/Android app. 
·                     Desktop Version here. 
·                     To get the free app, download and set-up the Hometown Fan app on your device. You will need your phone number and a verification code.
o        Once complete, search WPI in the search bar at the top of the screen.
o        You should be able to see a list of events to select.
 
Please note there will be NO CASH ALLOWED FOR TICKET SALES. Also, WPI will not be selling weekend passes and spectators will have to purchase a ticket for each day separately. Processing Fees Apply. No refunds or exchanges. General admission seating.
 
At the gate, you will show the QR Code from your ticket. You can use your email receipt (from your phone, no paper necessary) or through the Hometown Fan app.
 
 
Parking
The best address to use is 151 Salisbury Street Worcester. There is a parking garage that will be
used for spectators and those traveling by car/van. Visiting buses will drop o? and pick up teams
in the circle outside the Park Avenue Parking Garage. Parking and idling are not permitted in the
circle. Bus drivers are encouraged to find bus parking on streets adjacent to campus.
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Fans and competitors can also view the WPI Visiting Team Guide for more information about campus, and the local area. 
 
 
Follow the action live
Video & Live Results: Results and video can be found at Trackwrestling.com and FloWrestling. Links are available on southernmainehuskies.com and on the wrestling team's schedule.

Concessions:
Concessions, consisting of a variety snacks and beverages will be made available throughout the
tournament.

Schedule of Events

Saturday, March 2
9:00 am	Doors open for Admission	Sports & Recreation Center
10:00 – 11:00 am	Preliminary Rounds	Up to 40 bouts
11:00 – 1:30 pm	First Round Matches	80 bouts
1:30 - 2:30 pm	Consolation First Matches	Up to 40 bouts
2:30 – 4:00 pm	Championship Quarterfinals	40 bouts
4:30 – 6:00 pm	Consolation Round Two	40 bouts
6:00 - 7:30 pm	Consolation Round Three	40 bouts
Sunday, March 3
9:00 am	Doors Open For Admission	Sports & Recreation Center
10:00 am – 12:00 pm	Championship Semifinals & Consolation Quarterfinals
12:00 – 1 pm	Consolation Semifinals
1:30 – 3:00 pm	5th/7th Place Matches
3:30 – 5:00 pm	Championship Finals & 3rd Place Matches
5:30 pm (approximation	Awards Ceremony

 
Participating Teams:
Bridgewater State, Castleton, Coast Guard, Hunter, Johnson and Wales, Merchant Marine, New
England College, New York University, Norwich, Plymouth State, Rhode Island College, Roger
Williams, Southern Maine, Springfield, Trinity (CT), Utica, Wesleyan, Western New England,
Williams, and host WPI.
 
Competition Site Information
Four mats will be utilized throughout the competition. The seventh and fifth place match will begin at approximately 1:30 pm. Third and championship matches will take place approximately at 3:30 pm. At the end of all matches, a brief recognition ceremony will take place, including the top three finishers by weight class.