CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - After an action packed opening day at the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships, the West Liberty University wrestling team has advanced four wrestlers to Day 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Cole Laya (125), Vincent Scollo (133), and Ty McGeary (184) all went 2-0 to secure a spot in the national semifinals, while Alec Cook (165) went 2-1 to punch his ticket to Day 2.

Laya, Scollo, McGeary, and Cook all clinched All-American status by earning a bid to Saturday.

Six wrestlers won their first championship round match to advance into the quarterfinals Friday evening, while all eight picked up at least one win.

The Hilltoppers sit in fourth place in the team standings with 37.5 points after Day 1. Central Oklahoma is atop the standings at 62.5.

No. 1 seed Cole Laya had a battle in both of his matches, but was able to prevail and secure a fifth straight All-American honor. It was scoreless after one in the first round, then he slammed his opponent down for a near fall in the second period and ended up advancing via an injury default. In the quarterfinals Laya posted a shutout and picked up 4-0 victory over the No. 8 seed behind a first period takedown, third period escape, and a riding time advantage. Laya will face No. 5 seed Jaxson Rohnman, of Augustana (SD), in tomorrow's semifinal.

No. 7 seed Vincent Scollo rolled to a major decision in his first match of the tournament and kept it going with a 7-3 decision over the No. 2 seed Eric Bartos to emphatically earn his first All-American honor. Tomorrow's semifinal against No. 3 seed Gavin Quiocho, of Glenville State, will be a rematch of both the MEC and NCAA Super Region 3 finals, which they split.

Alec Cook battled to an overtime victory at 165 in an upset of No. 5 seed Jack Eiteljorge, of Indianapolis. Trailing by two late in the third period, Cook got a takedown to force overtime then clinched the win with two points to erupt the rowdy West Liberty fan base. He bounced right back from a pin against the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals with a 3-2 victory over Guy Delonardis, of Glenville State, to earn his first ever All-American honor. Cook will take on Mike Vernagllo, of Mount Olive, tomorrow morning with the opportunity to wrestle as many as three times competing for as high as third place.

No. 3 seed Ty McGeary claimed a pair of hard-fought wins to advance to the semifinals for the first time in his career and will be competing on Day 2 for the second straight season. In the opening round, McGeary defended his higher seeding with a 3-2 victory, then battled out an 8-6 win over another unranked opponent, who just upset the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.

No. 5 Francesco Borsellino cruised to a 10-1 major decision in the opening round, then was on the tough end of a pair of overtime matches to end his national tournament with a 1-2 record. A reversal ended the match in favor of No. 4 Johnny Green, of Ouachita Baptist, in the quarterfinals, then a riding time advantage in double overtime went against Borsellino in the wrestleback match. 

Chase Morgan (174) fought his way to a 4-3 win in the first round taking down the No. 2 seed in the bracket, but was upended in both matches in the night session to finish 1-2. Morgan suffered a major decision to James Penfold, of Lake Erie, who also was coming off an upset win in round one. He turned around with a tightly contested wrestleback match against Nate Barrett, of Ashland, but came up just short, dropping the match 3-2.

Jacob Simpson (149) was the lone Hilltopper put in the preliminary round, where he earned a 4-3 win before falling in the first round matchup, 10-3, to the No. 8 seed. Simpson picked up a second win, 8-4, in the first wrestleback, before bowing out of the tournament after his fourth match of the day.

In a defensive battle in the first round of the 157 lb bracket, No. 7 seed Jamar Williams was edged out, 1-0, to open the tournament. He bounced right back with a pin in his first wrestleback, but was on the wrong end of a 7-5 decision to end the national tournament with a 1-2 record.

A national champion will be crowned in all 10 weight classes tomorrow inside the Alliant Energy Powerhouse. The semifinals and consolation brackets will begin Day 2 competition at 11 am est, then the first place matches will headline the night session at 8 pm est.

Follow Hilltopper wrestling all season online at HilltopperSports.com as well as on Twitter (@wlu_wrestling | @wlathletics), Instagram (@wlu_wrestling | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.

Day One Interviews

Head Coach Danny Irwin


Cole Laya