Lander University

Willis Glassgow

Wrestling 3/1/2025 11:49:00 PM Turner Kirby - Director of Athletic Communications

Eight NCAA Qualifiers Lifts #12 Lander to Third Consecutive Super Region II Title

PEMBROKE, N.C. – The 12th-ranked Lander wrestling team saw eight wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships in Indianapolis, with all 10 Bearcats placing no lower than fourth as they dominated en route to their third straight Super Region II title Saturday at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.

Lander totaled 157 team points, 40 more than second-place UNC Pembroke and just seven shy of its program record of 164, set at the 2023 Super Region II tournament.

Kaden Kuenzi, Christian Davis, Isham Peace and David Hunsberger won Super Regional titles in their respective weight classes. It was Hunsberger's third regional title and Peace's second.

Marvelous Rutledge and Isaac Sheeren, who placed second in their weight classes, will join them at the NCAA Championships. Noah Roulo and Nathan Bukovich also secured spots in Indianapolis, battling through the consolation bracket to take the third and final qualifying position from the region.

Lander's dominance was evident early, as nine wrestlers reached the semifinals with 14 bonus-point wins across the first two rounds.

Anthony Giampeitro was the only Bearcat to suffer an early setback, but the graduate student battled through three consolation rounds to reach the third-place match. However, he was forced to medically forfeit, ending his season.

Kuenzi breezed through his bracket, outscoring his opponents 29-0 with a pin in his opening match and a technical fall in the championship bout.

Davis opened with two straight technical falls before closing out his championship run with back-to-back major decisions to claim the regional title as a true freshman.

After a shutout technical fall and a major decision in his first two matches, Peace picked up an 11-4 win in the semifinals before a 6-4 decision in the finals secured his second straight regional title.

Reid Noble reached the semifinals with consecutive technical falls but fell short of the championship match in a 5-1 decision. He reached the third-place match with another technical fall and came within a point in the third period but was unable to secure a takedown, falling 5-4 to end his season.

Roulo earned a 5-2 decision to reach the semifinals, then secured another 5-2 win in the consolation semis. In the third-place match, he landed a takedown in the final seconds to clinch his spot at nationals.

Back-to-back pins put Hunsberger in the championship match, where he found himself in a battle with Brent Nicolosi of Mount Olive. A late takedown by Nicolosi seemed to seal the win, but the defending national champion reversed the position just as time expired to flip the scoreboard in his favor. Both coaches threw challenge bricks, leading to a lengthy review, but Hunsberger's win was confirmed, giving him his third Super Region title.

Bukovich entered the third period of his third-place match tied with Newberry's Dayton Fields, with an NCAA berth on the line. He secured a takedown with 50 seconds left and held on to earn his first trip to the national championships.

Rutledge and Sheeren fell to the top-seeded wrestlers in their respective weight classes in the championship matches, but both picked up bonus-point wins along the way to help Lander in the team race.

Lander's eight qualifiers will now turn their attention to the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, held as part of the Division II Winter Championship Festival in Indianapolis. Action begins Friday, March 14, at Corteva Coliseum (formerly Indiana Farmers Coliseum).

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Buckovich: Redshirt Junior; 184

David Hunsberger: Junior; 157

Kaden Kuenzi: Senior; 133

Reid Noble: Sophomore; 149

Isham Peace: Redshirt Junior; 141

Christian Davis: Freshman; 133

Anthony Giampeitro: Senior; 184

Marvelous Rutledge: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren: Freshman; 285

Players Mentioned

Nathan Buckovich
: Redshirt Junior; 184

David Hunsberger
: Junior; 157

Kaden Kuenzi
: Senior; 133

Reid Noble
: Sophomore; 149

Isham Peace
: Redshirt Junior; 141

Christian Davis
: Freshman; 133

Anthony Giampeitro
: Senior; 184

Marvelous Rutledge
: Junior; 197

Issac Sheeren
: Freshman; 285