From NYU Athletics

Junior Brandon Jones won two of his three bouts on the opening day of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, which are being held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, IA, on Friday-Saturday, March 14-15.

The victories have assured Jones of becoming an All-American for the second straight season. The current 141-pounder finished fifth in the nation at 133 pounds in 2013.

The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-America honors. 

In his first bout of the day, Jones (20-3) fell behind 2-0 in the first round against his opponent, Nathaniel Behnke of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. However, Jones' reversal late in the round and his second one in the third round erased the deficit and carried him to a 5-2 victory.   

"I don't think the final score was indicative of how much Brandon dominated the match," said Senior Assistant Coach Corey Luce. 

Jones' next bout was against Charlie Banaszak of the University of Chicago. The two wrestlers had met at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship in February, with Jones winning the bout by a 13-6 decision.

However, things did not turn out as well for Jones in the rematch. Banaszak took an early lead and never let up. Jones was unable to mount a comeback and he fell to his opponent by a score of 10-3. 

In the third bout, Jones needed a win to stave off elimination and secure an All-America bid.

Once again he fell behind his opponent, Dominick Giacolone of Ithaca College, early in the bout. This time, however, the result would be different. Jones took a lead, but the score was eventually tied 4-4 and went to overtime. That's when Jones was able to take his opponent down and score the winning two points for a 6-4 sudden victory.

The win assured Jones of at least an eighth-place finsh and the possibility of advancing all the way to third place.

"It was a true test of character," Luce said. "That's really all there is to say."