Wartburg's Lance Evans helps Knights pull away at NCAA Wrestling Championships

CEDAR RAPIDS — Wartburg's Lance Evans has faced the nation's best competition.

Just to crack the lineup, the former Solon state champion had to beat out returning All-American Ben Nagle, who placed fifth last season.

Evans was unfazed in his debut at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Friday night at U.S. Cellular Center. Evans rolled to the semifinals, pinning his first two opponents and capping a perfect quarterfinal round for the first-place Knights.

Evans improved to 27-0, decking Gettysburg's Paul Triandafilou in 1:06 to assure a spot on the awards stand and a top-six finish. Challenges in the Wartburg practice prepared him for this stage.

'I knew I had to work my ass off every day in the practice room to beat him,' Evans said of Nagle. 'Because of that, I think it made me a lot better, wrestling with him, some of the other guys and (Wartburg assistant) coach (Chris) Ortner.

'When I did finally beat him, I knew I had beat a great guy. I must be pretty good.'

Wartburg Coach Eric Keller said Evans is committed in every task. Keller noted that Evans has aspirations to be a doctor and holds himself to high expectations.

'He's kind of a perfectionist in everything he does,' Keller said. 'That mentality and preparation has got him to the point where he's at. He is not afraid to work hard.'

Evans contributed to a perfect even session that saw Wartburg pull away from the field and move closer to its fifth title in six years. Seven Knights won quarterfinal matches, including Arnulfo Olea (125) and top-seeded 174-pounder Eric Devos, who added pins. Defending national champion and third-seed Kenny Martin also advanced.

The quarterfinal round derailed Wartburg last year. Keller challenged the Knights, laying out what it would take for them to grasp control of the team race.

'He was like, 'Guys, we have to have a great round this round,' so we did,' Evans said. 'We came out and I think everybody wrestled well. We were ready to go.'

The Knights held a five-point lead before the quarterfinals, going 10-1 overall that session with eight All-Americans. Wartburg tallied 78 points, leading second-place Messiah (Penn.) by 30.

'That was a fun round,' Keller said. 'The guys dug deep and stepped up.'

Third-place Luther pushed a couple into the semifinals, including national finalist Drew Van Anrooy at 141 and 157-pounder Tristan Zurfluh.

Van Anrooy (23-0) gutted out a pair of two-point victories, edging Mount Union's Jeremy Border, 7-5, to return to the semifinals.

'I don't think I've been wrestling my best,' Van Anrooy said. 'I feel like I can do a lot more, especially with my attacks.'

Top-seeded Van Anrooy used a third-period reversal and then a takedown in the final seconds to overcome Border, who thwarted shots by tying up Van Anrooy's ankles and forcing stalemates.

'I got in there and finished real quick,' Van Anrooy said. 'I switched off to a double before he could grab my ankles.'

Van Anrooy secured his second straight All-American honor, but he won't be happy without gold and maintaining his unbeaten record.

'I have to get over that fear of losing,' Van Anrooy said. 'I just have to go out there and put it all out there. It's my senior year. It's my last chance.'

Zurfluh reached the semifinals with two overtime victories, beating two seeded opponents. He scored an escape in the first tiebreaker to beat Ferrum's No. 4 seed Logan Meister, 4-3. The Norse had 35 ½ points with five All-Americans, which is the second-most in school history.

Coe and Cornell each have one wrestler remaining in the hunt for gold.

Coe 174-pounder Ryan Harrington returned to the semifinals. Harrington took control in the final period, scoring five points including two takedowns, for a 7-3 victory over Wabash's Ethan Farmer.

'It's a great feeling,' said Harrington, who placed fourth last year. 'This is what you work for all year, putting yourself in this position.'

Harrington will face top-seeded Devos in today's semifinal. Devos has won the last two matchups, but Harrington has awaited another chance.

'It's what I've been working for the last two weeks,' Harrington said. 'Everything has played out as I've planned so far.

'He's just fun to wrestle. We have kind of similar styles. … He's a good wrestler.'

Coe has three All-Americans. Farai Sewera, the 2015 NCAA champion, rebounded from a first-round upset with two wins and earned a second straight medal. Jan Rosenberg reached the podium at 125. The Kohawks were tied for eighth.

The Rams' 149-pounder Trevor Engle made his fourth national-tournament appearance, but unlike previous trips he will take home hardware. Engle opened with a 7-5 win over top-seed Derek Arnold of Ursinus. He followed it with a 10-0 blanking of Roger Williams' Daniel Downes to secure All-American status to conclude his career.

'It's going to be nice at the end of the day,' Engle said. 'The higher the better. The higher on that podium I stand the more satisfied I will be of my career.'

Engle scored first against Downes and then opened up. The early points allowed him to relax and be more offensive.

'It's always stingy the first minute when you don't have points on the board,' Engle said. 'Once you start building that lead, you start feeling more free and loose to do what you need to do to stay dominant in that match.'

Engle faces Lycoming's fifth-seed Seth Lansberry next. He is excited to compete on Day 2.

'I don't think I have to change anything up right now,' Engle said. 'You have to keep wrestling the way you want to wrestle and I think I'm doing that right now.'

The Rams' Phillip Opelt went 3-1 the first day at 133, notching a top-eight finish.

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