Sanders clinches All-American accolade, spot in semifinals

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – By winning both of his matches on Friday at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, Concordia University Wisconsin sophomore Greg Sanders has clinched All-American honors. The 149 lb. grappler defeated No. 3 seed Mark Hartenstine of Wilkes University in his second match, clinching a spot in the semifinals and becoming the first NCAA All-American in CUW Wrestling history.

Sanders (San Antonio, Texas) ended up winning by injury default at the 5:58 mark, but he was in control throughout the entire match. Sanders, who is the sixth seed in his weight bracket, went up in the first period 2-0 before Hartenstine needed an injury timeout.

Following the injury break Sanders continued to roll, racking up six more points en route to an 8-0 lead. With 1:02 remaining on the clock Hartenstine was forced to leave the match with an injury, securing the CUW sophomores spot in Saturday's semifinals.

Sanders moves on to face Vincent Pisani of York College. Pisani, the seventh seed in the 149 lb. bracket, won his quarterfinal match by an 8-6 decision. Pisani cruised to a victory in his first bout of the day, winning by a major decision (14-3). Sanders and Pisani have not wrestled each other this season.

The other semifinal in the 149 lb. weight class will feature top-seeded Kodie Silvestri of Wartburg College and Robert Dierna of SUNY-Cortland who is seeded fifth.

Sophomore Sean Ambrocio (San Antonio, Texas) was eliminated at 125 lbs. as he lost another close match, this time by a 7-6 decision against Miguel Venecia of Elmhurst College. Both of Ambrocio's defeats were of 7-6 scores Friday.

The two-time national qualifier concluded his season with a 33-7 record. He won the Division III West Regional two weekends ago, which qualified him for the championships.

Fans can continue to follow Sanders tomorrow as looks to become a national champion. Live video will be available from CUWFalcons.com, with the meet scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.