From NYU Athletics

The New York University wrestling team has completed competition at the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championships, hosted by Rhode Island College in Providence, RI, on Saturday and Sunday, February 29-March 1.

Seven NYU wrestlers participated in Sunday's semifinals, earning All-Region honors in the process. For the fourth time in team history, NYU had four wrestlers finish in the top three in their brackets, thus qualifying them for the NCAA National Championships. This is tied for the most wrestlers NYU has ever had qualify.

In the team scoring, NYU finished third out of 17 schools with 122 points, just half-a-point behind the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Johnson & Wales University took first place with 168 points.

This is the fourth time in program history that NYU finished in the top three.

Overall, NYU wrestlers went 29-15 in the Championships.

NYU's top performer in the Championships was Sean Lyons (Sewell, NJ/St. Joseph's Prep) who, after previously finishing as the runner-up back in 2018, claimed first place after recording back-to-back technical falls in the 157-pound bracket. For his efforts, Lyons was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler.

"Lyons proved this weekend that he is a title contender," remarked Senior Assistant Coach Corey Luce. "Not only does he expect to win, he expects to dominate."

NYU also had a trio of wrestlers finish in third place. The first was Evan Drill (Neshanic Station, NJ/Somerville), who bounced back from a loss in the semifinals by recording a fall and a 5-1 decision in the 149-pound bracket. This is Drill's third-straight trip to the NCAA Championships. Likewise, Izaake Zuckerman (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield Warde) also claimed third after recording a fall and a decision (8-1) in the 165-pound bracket, as did Jack La Corte (Monmouth Beach, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) in the 197-pound bracket where he won with a fall and a decision (8-1). 

"I'm very proud of the way our team responded after a very tough semifinal round," added Luce. "We told these guys to get the next best thing and that's what they did."

For helping guide the team to such tremendous success, Luce was named Assistant Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.

"Well-deserved honor for Corey," noted Head Coach Bruce Haberli. "You wouldn't think he's part-time because of all the work he puts into our program. I'm very fortunate to have him by my side, and our team is fortunate to have him as a coach."

With Regionals now behind them, Lyons, Drill, Zuckerman, and La Corte will now prepare for the NCAA Division III National Championships, which will begin on Friday, March 13, in Cedar Rapids, IA.