Indianapolis, Ind. – Two-time national champion Ty McGeary kept his quest for a three-peat alive Friday, securing two victories on the opening day of the NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis.

 

McGeary started strong, pinning Calan Staub of Mount Olive in just 2:12. In his second match, he faced a familiar opponent, Kyle Homet of Glenville State, whom he had previously defeated in the Mountain East Conference Championship with a dominant 14-6 major decision for his fourth consecutive MEC title. Friday's outcome was no different, as McGeary built an early 6-0 lead with takedowns in the first and second periods. Holding a 6-2 advantage in the third, he secured an escape and another takedown to extend his lead to 10-2 before adding a riding-time point for an 11-2 major decision. McGeary will now face No. 4 seed Cade Mueller of Augustana (S.D.) in the semifinals.

At 141 lbs., reigning All-American Khyvon Grace also punched his ticket to the semifinals with two hard-fought victories. He opened his tournament run with a 3-0 decision over No. 3 seed Brayden Lowery of UIndy, scoring all three points with a nearfall in the second period.

Grace's quarterfinal bout against Joseph Airola of Nebraska-Kearney was a nail-biter. He grabbed a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second period and carried that advantage into the third. Airola responded with an escape of his own, sending the match into overtime. After a scoreless first OT period, Grace chose bottom in the second overtime and escaped to take a 2-1 lead. He then held Airola scoreless in the final overtime period to secure the win. Grace will face Isham Peace of Lander in Saturday's semifinals with a championship match berth on the line.

Meanwhile, freshman James Armstrong Jr. saw his standout debut season come to an end after dropping a pair of matches—a 5-1 decision to No. 6 seed James Spencer of St. Cloud and a 4-2 loss to Jakob Romero of Adams State.