Elizabethtown College’s wrestling team took their talents on the road over the weekend, heading out to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to compete in the Division III National Championships. Two weeks prior to the event, the Blue Jays competed to be a part of the event in the Regional Championships held in New Jersey.
Etown fought hard through all of the weight classes, with two wrestlers finishing as the top two wrestlers, cementing themselves into a spot in the championships. Senior Ganon Smith came out on top of the 184-pound weight class in the regional competition and captured the overall number one seed in the national tournament due to his dominance all season. Junior Justice Hockenberry-Folk battled his way into finishing runner-up in the 165-pound weight class.
Both of the Blue Jay representatives began their wrestling campaign on Friday morning. After finishing the season with a record of 36-6, Hockenberry-Folk wrestled his first match as a play-in match against sophomore Tyler Roe from Stevens Institute of Technology. Hockenberry-Folk took control of the match early on, capturing a few takedowns to secure a decision with a 9-5 victory.
Hockenberry-Folk had a tough match lined up for him after his first round victory, taking on the overall number one seed in the 165-pound class in Clayton McDonough. The senior out of Luther College finished the season 48-4 and was wrestling in his first match after the first round bye. Hockenberry-Folk wrestled hard, finding a few escape points in the process, however, took his first loss of the tournament in a 14-2 major decision.
Hockenberry-Folk had the opportunity to wrestle back into the third place position, facing off against senior Jashon Holmes. After capturing multiple takedowns, Hockenberry-Folk stayed alive with a 10-3 decision.
Heading into his fourth match on Friday, he faced off against the #9 ranked wrestler in first-year Bo Koedam from Coe College. Koedam got the better of Hockenberry-Folk in this match, defeating the Blue Jay 11-1, ending the tournament for Hockenberry-Folk.
Smith had his opportunity in the 184-pound class, receiving a first round bye from the first round of matches on Friday morning. Coming into the tournament, Smith held a record of 38-1 after dominating on the mat the entire season.
Smith began his tournament campaign by facing off against junior Caden Stout from the Coast Guard Academy. Stout battled to stay in the match, however, Smith was able to pin the junior in three minutes, adding another fall to his resume and moving on to the next round of the tournament.
Smith took on the #8 seeded wrestler out of SUNY Oneonta in Jack Ryan who had beaten his opponent by major decision the round prior. Smith and Ryan were deadlocked through the three periods, tied up at 1-1 heading into sudden victory. Smith was able to find an opening and was able to secure three points in a takedown to spoil the upset and move on to the semifinal round on Saturday.
Smith moved on to face off against junior Robert Flege from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the overall #4 seed in the tournament. Despite the last match for Smith coming down to the wire, Smith was able to take a major decision, defeating his opponent 15-4 to secure a spot as an All-American and in the national championship match.
Senior Kasey Ross out of Wartburg College battled his way through the underside of the bracket as the #2 seed in the tournament, holding his opponents to zero points in his decision wins and pinning his opponent in his first matchup.
Smith battled hard against Ross, trying to find an opportunity for a takedown, however, Ross held on to take the national championship as Smith picked up second overall for the Blue Jays. Smith became the first finalist for Elizabethtown since 2010 when Tyler Erdman finished second in the 125-pound weight class.
Elizabethtown will begin their 2026-27 season in early November to attempt another chance at the National Championship title.
