ITHACA, N.Y. – Senior Terry Adams (25-8) punched his ticket to the 2023 NCAA Championships by claiming the 125-pound title at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Saturday.  
 


The Bears totaled 67 team points for a 10^th place finish overall in the 21-team field. The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) won the team title with 137.5 points, with host Ithaca College finishing in second with 121.5 total points, and Rochester Institute of Technology in third with 112 points.  


 
With Adams victory, it marks the first time a Bear has won a regional title at the Mideast Regionals. Derek Arnold was the last Bears to win a regional title as he won the 157-pound title in 2017 at the East Regional. In 2020, Adams earned a fifth-place finish and in 2021 he finished third in the 125lb bracket. 


 
Adams opened against the No. 1 seed Centenary University's Jack Thode and earned a 5-4 comeback victory to advance to the finals and secure his spot at the D3 NCAA National Championships. Thode jumped out to an early lead with a takedown in the first period and an escape in the second for a 3-0 advantage. In the final stanza, Adams chose bottom and quickly escaped to cut his deficit to two. He collected a takedown at the 1:00-mark to tie the match at three apiece. Thode recorded an escape just five seconds later but a takedown and a ride out over the final 42 seconds gave Adams the victory.   


 
Adams' finals match featured the third meeting this season between Adams and Muhlenberg's Joey Lamparelli. Adams won the first meeting of the season at the dual meet via decision, but Lamparelli won the last match at the Centennial Conference Championships final match via a 3-1 decision in overtime. The first period ended in a 0-0 draw as neither wrestler created many scoring opportunities.  


 
To begin the second period, Lamparelli collected an escape but a takedown from Adams at the 1:28-mark gave Adams a 2-1 advantage. Lamperalli earned an escape to finish the second period in neutral position as they entered the third period tied 2-2. Adams chose bottom to start the period and Lamperelli was able to ride out on top for the first minute and half of the period to collect a riding time point. With under 25 seconds remaining and Adams on bottom, he jumped to his feet and Lamperelli was returning him to the mat he hooked the back leg of Lamperelli and hipped over for a two-point reversal. Adams rode out the final 15 seconds of the match in a scramble to win his first NCAA Mideast Regional Title. 



"I'm incredibly proud of Terry - he wrestled incredible today," Director of Wrestling Joe Jamison said. "Coming from behind in the 3rd period in the semis and finals is no easy task, and he showed incredible poise and determination. That's how All-Americans are made and the coaching staff is excited to see what he can do in Roanoke."

 
 
Senior Gary Nagle collected a fourth-place finish in the 184-pound weight class. In his opening match of the day, Nagle pinned the No.2 seed and ranked 13th in the country TCNJ's Quinn Haddad. Nagle earned the first takedown of the match just under a minute into the first period. At the beginning of the second period, Nagle led 2-1 and chose bottom and collected a quick escape, but a takedown from Haddad tied the match at three a piece heading into the third period. In the third period, Nagle started on top and recorded three near fall points and collected the pinfall with a spladle at the 5:32-mark of the match.  


 
His next match featured a chance to reach the third-place match as he met Centenary University's Justin Hopman in the consolation semifinals. With the score tied 2-2 heading into the third period and under a minute remaining, the officials called a reversal in the favor of Hopman. A challenge from the Bears coaching staff got the reversal called off and Nagle rode out on top earning the one point for riding time and a 3-2 victory. The third match featured a rematch from earlier this season at the Will Abele Invitational (1/14) as Nagle defeated SUNY Oneonta's Jackson Ryan by a first-period pinfall. Ryan bounced back in this match recording a 7-1 decision over Nagle to qualify for nationals. Nagle closes out his senior season with a 19-4 overall record.  


Jamison speaks on Nagle's performance, "Gary wrestled his heart out and left everything on the mat. Our program has been blessed to have him as our leader and we'll miss him dearly. He's the best leader I've had the privilege of coaching."


 
Senior Kyle Schaffer recorded an eighth-place finish in the 197-pound bracket. This marks the second time in his career that Schaffer has placed at Regionals. In a hard-fought match, Schaffer couldn't overcome an early deficit and fell by a 3-2 decision to McDaniel's Jaedyn Harris. With Harris leading 3-1 at the start of the final period, Schaffer collected an escape point with 1:37 remaining on the clock but was unable to covert a takedown. In the seventh-place match, Schaffer nearly completed a comeback but fell by a 7-4 decision to TCNJ's Joe Daddario.



Jamison adds, "Schaffer wrestled incredibly tough today against two quality opponents. He should be proud of his performance this weekend and we're going to miss his leadership."


 
At 285lbs, senior Jake Ahmad tallied a seventh-place finish after finishing day two with a 1-1 record. Ahmad opened by dropping a tough 2-1 decision to Elmira's Chris Powell. The third period ended with a score of 1-1, but Powell collected a riding time point in the second period for the 2-1 decision. He bounced back in the seventh-place match with a pinfall over Ithaca's Jeremy Mazzella at the 1:28-mark of the first period.  



"Jake didn't get the results he wanted this weekend but he made significant strides this season," Joe Jamison said. "We're excited for what the future holds."


 
Adams will return to action on Friday, March 10^th for the NCAA Championships at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Virginia.