NEW LONDON, Conn. — Sophomore heavyweight Rory Nolan (Wadsworth, Ohio) punched his ticket to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships with a third-place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional, hosted by the United States Coast Guard Academy over the weekend. Nolan becomes the first Cadet to qualify for the NCAA Championships since All-American Kyle Merritt '24 in 2022.

Competing in the 285-pound bracket, Nolan opened his tournament with a first-round bye before recording a pin in 5:27 over Jack Disharoon (Emmanuel) in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Nolan outlasted Logan Frank of Castleton with a 7-4 sudden victory decision to advance to the semifinals.

After dropping a tight 5-1 decision to Carl DiGiorgio (Coast Guard) in the semifinal round, Nolan rebounded in the consolation bracket. He secured his NCAA berth with a 7-1 decision over Jayden Toppan (Roger Williams) in the consolation semifinal before closing the tournament with a 4-2 decision over second-seeded Adolfo Betancur (Johnson & Wales) in the third-place match in dramatic come-from-behind fashion in the final seconds.

Norwich also saw strong performances from Carver Moyer (Easton, Pa.) (133) and Robby Lyons (Milford, Mass.) (125), who both made deep consolation runs against a competitive regional field.

Moyer reached the quarterfinals after recording back-to-back falls over Antonio Intintoli (Western New England) and Rian Kirker (Utica). After dropping into the consolation bracket, he responded with a fall over Patrick Hughes (New England College) and a 9-0 major decision over Zachary Brzoska (Emmanuel) before ultimately finishing sixth overall.

Lyons battled through the consolation rounds at 125 pounds, picking up a fall over TJ Monahan (Utica) and a 9-8 decision over Spencer Buscema (Roger Williams) before his tournament run concluded in the fourth consolation round.

Additional wins for Norwich came from Nicholas Berrena (State College, Pa.) (141), Gannon White (Rincon, Ga.) (157), and Jonathan Neypes (Columbia, Md.) (165). Berrena earned a 21-4 technical fall over John Allmers (Plymouth State), while White secured a first-period fall over Nicholas Daniel (Maine Maritime). Neypes collected a pair of consolation victories with a 20-5 technical fall over Dominic Demaio (New England College) and a 45-second pin against Wyndham Freeman (Maine Maritime).

Nolan will now compete on the national stage in the NCAA National Tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 13-14.

Norwich Results by Weight

125 – Robert Lyons
Bye; TF loss vs. Nikko Beato (Coast Guard); pinned TJ Monahan (Utica); dec. Spencer Buscema (Roger Williams), 9-8; TF loss vs. Alexander Schaeublin (Trinity)

133 – Carver Moyer – 6th place
Pinned Antonio Intintoli (Western New England); pinned Rian Kirker (Utica); dec. loss vs. Matthew Carrozza (Trinity); pinned Patrick Hughes (New England College); maj. dec. Zachary Brzoska (Emmanuel), 9-0; dec. loss vs. Esuar Ordonez (Springfield); maj. dec. loss vs. Ethan Buonanducci (Bridgewater State)

141 – Nicholas Berrena
TF loss vs. Ty Trickle (Trinity); TF win vs. John Allmers (Plymouth State), 21-4; dec. loss vs. Shaun McLaughlin (Roger Williams)

149 – Billy Burke
Bye; fall loss vs. Nate Fitt (Coast Guard); fall loss vs. Shane Moore (Southern Maine)

157 – Gannon White
Bye, pinned Nicholas Daniel (Maine Maritime), maj. dec. loss vs. Nate Camiscioli (Castleton); medical forfeit loss vs. Avery Carl (Bridgewater State)

165 – Jonathan Neypes
SV loss vs. Kellen Horst (Wesleyan); TF win vs. Dominic Demaio (New England College), 20-5; pinned Wyndham Freeman (Maine Maritime); TF loss vs. Gabe Thomasson (Springfield)

174 – Gabriel Moltumyr
Forfeit loss vs. Patrick Wisniewski (Johnson & Wales); forfeit loss vs. James Calabrese (Bridgewater State)

184 – Joseph Menkello
Fall loss vs. Desmond McLaughlin (Castleton); maj. dec. loss vs. Nicholas Baccala (Western New England)

197 – Kevin Rodriguez
Medical forfeit loss vs. Warren Little (Wesleyan); medical forfeit loss vs. Luke Hutton (Trinity)

285 – Rory Nolan – 3rd place (NCAA qualifier)
Pinned Jack Disharoon (Emmanuel), 5:27; SV dec. Logan Frank (Castleton), 7-4; dec. loss vs. Carl DiGiorgio (Coast Guard), 5-1; dec. Jayden Toppan (Roger Williams), 7-1; dec. Adolfo Betancur (Johnson & Wales), 4-2