CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 9, 2018)  – Freshman Brett Kaliner, sophomore Troy Stanich and senior Zach Wilhelm eached earned All-American status for the No. 16 Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team Friday at the first day of competition at the 2018 NCAA Championships.

Kaliner and Wilhelm each posted unbeaten days to reach the semifinal match of the first-place bracket at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively. Stanich overcame an opening match setback to remain alive in the third-place bracket. The three All-American honors matches the program high set in each of the two previous seasons. 

As a team, the Ducks are in sixth place out of the 52-team field. No. 1 Wartburg leads the field, with No. 2 Augsburg, No. 3 Ithaca, No. 4 Johnson & Wales and No. 15 Messiah round out the top five. The Ducks are one of 22 programs to boast at least one semifinalist and one of just nine teams to place multiple competitors.

Stanich dropped his opening match of the tournament to Johnson & Wales' Joao Vicente of via a 10-2 major decision for his first loss of the 2017-18 season, snapping an incredible 36-match winning streak. Although unranked in the tournament, Vicente was ranked sixth in the country at 133 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Roxbury, New Jersey native rebounded to pin Nathaneal Rankin in the second period and earn a technical fall over Messiah's seventh-ranked Hunter Harris. Stanich was leading 20-5 at the time of the stoppage to earn his second straight All-American accolade and will face Coast Guard's Owen McClave to begin Saturday's competition.

At 141 pounds, Kaliner began his day with a major decision victory over Washington & Lee's Zach Bylykbashi. The West Chester, Pennsylvania native reached the semifinals with a 9-7 decision over Millikin's Chris Williams to earn his first All-American honor. Williams entered the match ranked eighth in the country. Kaliner will meet Elizabethtown College's Joe Ghione in the semifinals. Ghione is ranked sixth in the country and fifth in the tournament. Kaliner becomes just the second freshman to receive All-American recognition.

Sophomore Dylan Van Sickell won a hard-fought 5-4 decision over Williams College's Brendon Seyfried to advance out of the preliminary round, before falling to Wabash's Austin Bethel in the first round. The Little Silver, New Jersey native rebounded to take a 5-4 decision over Trinity's Grant Sorensen, but dropped a 10-7 decision to NYU's Evan Drill to bow out of the tournament. Van Sickell concludes his season with a 39-16 record, improving by one win over his freshman campaign. The sophomore earned a Centennial Conference individual championship and is a two-time national qualifier. 

At 157 pounds, Wilhelm earned his second consecutive All-American accolade, reaching the semifinals with a pair of decision victories. The Tuckerton, New Jersey native opened his tournament with a 6-2 decision over Ohio Northern's Gavin Nelson and then secured his place in the final four with a 9-4 win over NYU's Ray Jazikoff, who was ranked sixth in the tournament and eighth in the country. Wilhelm bested Jazikoff via decision in Canavan Arena on Jan. 31.

Junior Thomas Poklikuha pinned Gettysburg's Colin Kowalski in the final period to open his first national tournament. The West Creek, New Jersey native was engaged in an exciting battle with Baldwin Wallace's third-ranked Anthony Arroyo, but Poklikuha had to withdraw from the bout in the second period. The junior was then unable to compete in his consolation bout and withdrew from the tournament. Poklikuha concludes his 2017-18 campaign as a conference champion, a regional champion and a national qualifier. 

Up Next: No. 16 Stevens will look for a pair of national championships Saturday on the final day of competition at the NCAA Championships.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics         
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise