Saints Wrestling Finishes Inaugural Season at Championship Rounds of Region I Championships

NEW LONDON, Conn. - Emmanuel men's wrestling had its final bouts of their inaugural season on Sunday with first-years Zachary Brzoska and Jared Hood, and junior Justin Hood, who wrestled in the Championship Round of the NCAA Division III Region I Championships, hosted at the Coast Guard Academy. The Saints trio was in the final eight wrestlers at the Regional Championships, with Brzoska wrestling at 133, Jared Hood at 141, and Justin Hood at 165.

The Saints junior, Justin Hood, made the furthest run in the tournament this weekend, as a win in his opening bout advanced him into the consolation semifinals, where he faced the No. 1-seeded wrestler at 165, junior Henry Forte from Williams College. In that match, Justin Hood trailed 9-8 in the final period, before Forte used a take down, followed by a near fall, to push ahead of the Saints junior, on the way to a 17-9 major decision. Justin Hood then competed in the fifth-place bout against first-year Chase Anestis from Plymouth State, where he fell 5-0, resulting in Justin Hood's sixth-place result.

At 133 pounds, Brzoska started his day in the consolation bracket against Norwich senior Carver Moyer, in a bout between unranked wrestlers. Moyer used three takedowns, one in each period, on his way to defeating Brzoska 9-0. In the seventh-place bout, Brzoska fell to Castleton sophomore Stone Farnsworth, via tech fall, 20-5, handing the Saints rookie an eighth-place finish.

In the 141 weight class, Jared Hood opened the morning against the No. 8-seeded wrestler from Williams College, junior Tylor Stubbs. Jared Hood scored a third-period takedown that kept him in contention for the win, but Stubbs pulled away late for a 9-3 decision. The seventh-place bout was forfeited by the Saints, as Jared Hood finished eighth in his first regional appearance.

As a team, the Saints finished 14th out of 19 teams, collecting 36.5 points this weekend. Springfield College used six top-three finishes to collect 170.5 points, winning the team title for the first time in the team's history.