Gorham, Maine—Rhode Island College senior
Nathan Lackman (Wernersville, Pa.) went a perfect 4-0 to claim the individual crown at 165 lbs. and earn All-Northeast Region honors at the 2023 NCAA Div. III Wrestling Northeast Region Championship, hosted by Southern Maine on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-26.
He was also named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Lackman, who is ranked No. 1 in both the nation and the region at 165 lbs., is currently 35-3 on the season and has not lost a match to an NCAA Div. III opponent since the 2020-21 season, a string of 70 consecutive wins.
He will next see action at the NCAA Div. III Wrestling National Championship, held in Roanoke, Virginia on March 10-11.
On Saturday, he opened competition by pinning Plymouth State's
Tyler Miller at 2:05. He then defeated Johnson & Wales'
Patrick Wisniewski with a major decision, 8-0, to secure a spot in the semifinals.
On Sunday, Lackman punched his ticket to the finals for the second consecutive year with an 8-0 major decision vs. JWU's
Patrick Wisniewski. He then defeated NYU's
Cooper Pontelandolfo, 5-2, in the finals.
It marks the second consecutive season that Lackman has captured a regional title and advanced to the National Championship. He won the 157 lbs. crown at the regional tourney and then the individual national title as a junior in 2021-22.
Senior
Eric Zane (Quaker Hill, Conn.) earned All-Northeast Region honors at 157 lbs. with an eighth place finish.
He went 3-3 at the tournament.
After advancing on a forfeit win, Zane bested Southern Maine's
Austin Manning, 7-2, with a sudden victory decision. After dropping a sudden victory decision vs. WPI's
Tommy Dell'Aera, 6-4, Zane bounced back with an 8-3 decision vs. Norwich's
Cameron Wooldridge.
On Sunday, Zane fell, 11-1, vs. Williams'
Peter Kane and then, 18-5, vs. JWU's
William Hughes in the seventh place match.
Head Coach
Jay Jones' team finished 14
th (19 teams) overall with a team score of 39.0. Johnson & Wales won the championship with a team score of 175.50.
