PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Sometimes there are matches that should be center stage, but unfortunately are one of many going on at the same time during a wrestling tournament.
When Tyler Goebel of Wisconsin-La Crosse faced Peter Kane of Williams in the 157-pound NCAA Division III Nationals quarterfinals Friday night, the match was worthy of being in the Saturday night spotlight.
It had stars: Both wrestlers were returning national runners-up.
It had drama and suspense in a final period that went back-and-forth for most of the third period.
It had an ending that brought joy or tears, depending on your perspective.
In the final seconds, Goebel pulled out a 5-4 victory that put him into Saturday morning's semifinals.
"He's like anybody elss, Goebel said of facing another runner-up in the quarterfinals. "Everyone's good at what they're good at. If you're confident and believe in what you're good at why would you be worried about what he's doing. Just go out and believe in what you do best and put it all out there."
Goebel came in as the seventh seed after being upset in the regional and having to wrestle back to third place to qualify for nationals.
Kane, the second seed, led 3-2 entering the third period and quickly made it 4-2 with an escape.
Then came the drama and suspense for the final 1 minute, 35 seconds. Shots, countershots, reshots -- no restarts.
"In the practice room everyday, all the coaches are like, 'Go, go, go. Be relentless, don't give up on any points,' Goebel said. "In the practice room we do those scrambles all the time and you win and lose some. Then you come out here and you feel way more confident. You're ready to scrap, ready to fight.
Finally, with 16 seconds remaining, Goebel gained control for a takedown and won 5-4.
"It was pursuit of the next position," Goebel said. "I tried cracking him down, didn't work. I tried to scoop an ankle going over, didn't work. I tried shelfing it up, upside down position splitting it through the middle, didn't work. There was short time left ... I'll scramble around here and see what happens. I came out on top."
It was a day full of excitement, and the team race was as wild as advertised with six teams finishing the day with between 40 and 50 points. It was so close the team race changed three times in the final few matches. First, Wartburg overtook Augsburg 48.5-46 when Kasey Ross won his wrestleback at 184 to become the team's fifth All-American.
Then Johnson & Wales, the tournament host, passed those two when 197-pounder Dylan Harr and 285-pounder Adolfo Betancur won in the blood round and finished with 49.5.
Wisconsin-La Crosse was fourth (43), North Central fifth (42) and Baldwin Wallace sixth (40.5).
"A lot of teams could put themselves in position for a trophy and maybe the title," Tony Valek, coach of defending champion Augsburg, said. "It's going to come down to tomorrow night."
Joziah Fry, a Rhode Island native who is chasing his third national title, will be joined in the semifinals by teammate Hayden Brown (149) for Johnson & Wales.
Wartburg will have three in the semifinals -- Kyler Romero (149), Massoma Endene (197) and Mitch Williamson (285) and Ross and Tommy Thongseng (141) in the wrestlebacks.
Augsburg advanced four into Saturday morning's semifinals: Matt Randolph (149), Cooper Willis (165), Seth Goetzinger (174) and Brandt Bombard (184) and Chance Suddeth remained alive in the wrestlebacks at 133.
Marcus Orlandoni (184) will join Goebel in the semifinals for La Crosse, which has Tanner Gerber (165) and Ben Kawczynski (197) going in the wrestlebacks.
Christian Guzman (125) will represent North Central in the semifinals. Also alive in the consolations for the Cardinals are Bradley Rosen (141), Javen Estrada (174) and Robby Bates (285),
Baldwin Wallace has three in the semifinals -- Michael Petrella (157), who is trying to win for the third time; Andrew Supers, who beat defending champion Nick Sacco of The College of New Jersey 10-0 in the quarterfinals; and Joe Petrella (197) -- and Jaden Hinton (133) alive in the wrestlebacks.
NCAA DIV. III NATIONALS
At Providence, R.I., March 14, 2025
Semifinals pairings
125
No. 1 Joziah Fry (JWU (Providence)) vs. No. 4 Mason Barrett (Averett)
No. 3 Zach Beckner (Ferrum) vs. No. 2 Christian Guzman (North Central (IL))
133
No. 1 Chase Randall (Coast Guard) vs. No. 4 Dominik Mallinder (Wis.-Whitewater)
No. 3Garrett Totten (TCNJ) vs. No. 7 Bryce Parke (Coe)
141
No. 1 Josh Wilson (Greensboro) vs. No. 5 Mark Samuel (Roanoke)
No. 3 Pierre Baldwin (Central (IA)) vs. unseeded Sean Conway (UChicago)
149
No. 1 Hayden Brown (JWU (Providence)) vs. No. 4 Matt Randolph (Augsburg)
No. 6 Kyler Romero (Wartburg) vs. No. 2 Angelo Centrone (Cortland)
157
No. 1 Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) vs. No. 4 Eric Kinkaid (Loras)
No. 3 Cooper Pontelandolfo (NYU) vs. No. 7 Tyler Goebel (Wis.-La Crosse)
165
No. 1 Matt Lackman (Alvernia) vs. No. 5 Andrew Supers (Baldwin Wallace)
No. 3 Cooper Willis (Augsburg) vs. No. 7 Brayden Peet (Wis.-Whitewater)
174
No. 1 Jared Stricker (Wis.-Eau Claire) vs. No. 4 Hunter Mays (TCNJ)
No. 3 Nathan Lackman (Alvernia) vs. No. 7 Seth Goetzinger (Augsburg)
184
Unseeded Ganon Smith (Elizabethtown) vs. No. 5 Marcus Orlandoni (Wis.-La Crosse)
No. 3 Brandt Bombard (Augsburg) vs. No. 7 Tyler Withers (Merchant Marine)
197
No. 1 Massoma Endene (Wartburg) vs. No. 5 Charles Baczek (Wabash)
No. 6 Joseph Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) vs. No. 2 Cameron Butka (Wilkes)
285
No. 8 Carl DiGiorgio (Coast Guard) vs. No. 5 Austin Cooley (Schreiner)
Unseeded Mitch Williamson (Wartburg) vs. No. 2 Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum)
Quarterfinal results
125
Joziah Fry (JWU (Providence)) 40-0 won by major decision over Quintin Wolbert (Wis.-La Crosse) 23-11 (MD 21-7)
Mason Barrett (Averett) 29-4 won by decision over Isaic Paulino (Roanoke) 21-8 (Dec 8-3)
Zach Beckner (Ferrum) 21-0 won by major decision over Jake Craig (Southern Me.) 27-6 (MD 9-0)
Christian Guzman (North Central (IL)) 34-0 won by tech fall over Gavin Bradley (Castleton) 35-8 (TF-1.5 3:12 (15-0))
133
Chase Randall (Coast Guard) 25-0 won by major decision over James Day (Wabash) 37-6 (MD 17-3)
Dominik Mallinder (Wis.-Whitewater) 24-2 won by decision over Connor Kidd (Luther) 22-12 (Dec 10-5)
Garrett Totten (TCNJ) 21-0 won by decision over Jonah Paulino (Roanoke) 25-4 (Dec 7-0)
Bryce Parke (Coe) 25-4 won by fall over Peyton Ellis (JWU (Providence)) 30-4 (Fall 4:11)
141
Josh Wilson (Greensboro) 29-1 won in sudden victory - 1 over Luke Hoerle (Stevens) 17-4 (SV-1 8-5)
Mark Samuel (Roanoke) 26-4 won by decision over Ty Bisek (Concordia-M`head) 28-1 (Dec 13-11)
Pierre Baldwin (Central (IA)) 25-1 won by major decision over Hayden Myers (Wesleyan (CT)) 31-8 (MD 14-3)
Sean Conway (UChicago) 39-10 won in sudden victory - 1 over Dylan Phelps (Olivet) 30-9 (SV-1 4-1)
149
Hayden Brown (JWU (Providence)) 38-1 won by fall over Tyler Herrema (Olivet) 31-6 (Fall 3:11)
Matt Randolph (Augsburg) 30-2 won in TB-3 by riding time over Brett Back (Univ. of Dubuque) 29-11 (TB-3 (RT) 4-4)
Kyler Romero (Wartburg) 29-1 won by fall over Colby Frost (Southern Me.) 37-2 (Fall 1:50)
Angelo Centrone (Cortland) 28-0 won by decision over Elijah Cyr (Castleton) 27-14 (Dec 4-2)
157
Michael Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) 38-0 won by fall over Clayton McDonough (Luther) 33-7 (Fall 1:49)
Eric Kinkaid (Loras) 25-3 won by fall over Aiden Smith (Adrian) 30-2 (Fall 6:01)
Cooper Pontelandolfo (NYU) 33-0 won by decision over Ryan Smith (Stevens) 24-5 (Dec 2-0)
Tyler Goebel (Wis.-La Crosse) 27-2 won by decision over Peter Kane (Williams) 40-1 (Dec 5-4)
165
Matt Lackman (Alvernia) 36-2 won by decision over Jake Deguire (Springfield) 30-9 (Dec 4-1)
Andrew Supers (Baldwin Wallace) 39-4 won by major decision over Nicholas Sacco (TCNJ) 21-9 (MD 10-0)
Cooper Willis (Augsburg) 29-1 won by decision over Jack Richardson (JWU (Providence)) 30-7 (Dec 5-0)
Brayden Peet (Wis.-Whitewater) 24-4 won by decision over Christopher Stathopoulos (Stevens) 25-8 (Dec 7-3)
174
Jared Stricker (Wis.-Eau Claire) 41-0 won by fall over Javen Estrada (North Central (IL)) 21-4 (Fall 5:09)
Hunter Mays (TCNJ) 29-6 won by decision over LJ Richardson (Coe) 24-5 (Dec 9-6)
Nathan Lackman (Alvernia) 36-2 won by decision over Dejon Glaster (Millikin) 32-3 (Dec 6-5)
Seth Goetzinger (Augsburg) 23-4 won by decision over Zeb Gnida (Loras) 22-1 (Dec 8-2)
184
Ganon Smith (Elizabethtown) 35-3 won by decision over Jack Ryan (SUNY Oneonta) 32-2 (Dec 7-2)
Marcus Orlandoni (Wis.-La Crosse) 19-3 won by decision over Austen Wetzel (Westminster (MO)) 37-7 (Dec 7-1)
Brandt Bombard (Augsburg) 27-5 won by decision over Jared Voss (Coe) 26-5 (Dec 5-2)
Tyler Withers (Merchant Marine) 33-3 won by decision over Kasey Ross (Wartburg) 29-2 (Dec 2-1)
197
Massoma Endene (Wartburg) 18-0 won by tech fall over Dj Henry (TCNJ) 27-8 (TF-1.5 1:38 (15-0))
Charles Baczek (Wabash) 28-2 won by decision over Pilo Perez (Univ. of Dubuque) 9-4 (Dec 7-3)
Joseph Petrella (Baldwin Wallace) 26-2 won in sudden victory - 1 over Ben Kawczynski (Wis.-La Crosse) 22-6 (SV-1 4-1)
Cameron Butka (Wilkes) 37-2 won by decision over Dylan Harr (JWU (Providence)) 10-4 (Dec 8-1)
285
Carl DiGiorgio (Coast Guard) 26-2 won by decision over Robby Bates (North Central (IL)) 27-5 (Dec 8-5)
Austin Cooley (Schreiner) 28-2 won by decision over Walter West (Luther) 21-3 (Dec 8-5)
Mitch Williamson (Wartburg) 21-1 won in TB-3 by riding time over Josh Harkless (RIT) 30-1 (TB-3 (RT) 2-2)
Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum) 29-0 won by tech fall over Reid Garrison (Merchant Marine) 27-4 (TF-1.5 6:26 (19-3))
NCAA Div. III Top 15 teams after day one
1 JWU (Providence) 49.5
2 Wartburg 48.5
3 Augsburg 46.0
4 Wis.-La Crosse 43.0
5 North Central (IL) 42.0
6 Baldwin Wallace 40.5
7 Alvernia 39.0
7 Coe 39.0
9 TCNJ 35.0
10 Wis.-Whitewater 24.5
11 Wis.-Eau Claire 23.0
12 Luther 22.5
13 Coast Guard 21.5
14 Stevens 21.0
15 Ferrum 20.5
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