Wrestling 3/2/2025 4:05:00 PM

Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4… Wrestling Earns Fifth Straight Regional Championship; Six Ducks Headed to Nationals

Three win regional crowns; Smith threepeats at 157

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team won a fifth straight regional championship Sunday, thanks in large part to individual titles for Luke Hoerle (141), Ryan Smith (157), and Chris Stathopoulos (165), as well as top-three finishes for Harrison Hinojosa (174), Joel Martsinovsky (184), & Blaise Wagner (197).

All six earned spots in the NCAA Division III National Championships in two weeks. Smith won his third straight 157-pound regional and Hoerle adds the 141-pound title to his regional crown at 133 last season. Martsinovsky's efforts earned him a second straight Nationals berth as well.

The Rundown

After three tech fall victories yesterday, Hoerle wrapped his weekend of dominance with two more on Sunday, winning 21-5 in the semis and 22-6 in the finals, completing a two-day run in which he scored 104 points while yielding just 27.
Smith started Sunday with a 9-0 major decision win in the semifinals, then wrapped up his second straight regional title with an 8-2 decision victory in the final.
Stathopoulos moved to the final with an 11-3 major decision win then picked up a season-defining win, knocking off Konrad Parker, the No. 8-ranked 165-pounder in the most recent National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) poll, 14-7 in the final, picking up at least one takedown in each period while being taken down just once; Stathopoulos was ranked 15^th at 165 in that NWCA poll.
Wagner, like Hoerle, Smith, and Stathopoulos, punched his ticket to nationals with a semifinal victory, a 5-1 decision win. Seeking to become the Ducks' fourth regional champion of the day, Wagner ran into Wilkes' Cameron Butka, the No. 3-ranked 197-pounder in the NWCA ranks, in the final. Wagner kept things close, trailing just 3-2 after two periods, but two third period takedowns proved to be the difference in a 10-3 decision for Butka.
Hinojosa's Sunday began with a semifinal loss to open his day on the mats, but the senior picked up a 14-1 major decision win in the consolation bracket to advance to the 3^rd-place match and, with a trip to Nationals on the line, picked up two takedowns in the first period of his third-place match, adding a third in the second period on his way to a 12-6 decision win.
Martsinovsky opened his day against the No. 1 ranked 184-pounder in the latest NWCA ranks, Jack Ryan of Oneonta. Following a major decision loss, Martsinovsky remained alive for a nationals berth, pinning his first consolation draw opponent in 66 seconds, then made one final definitive statement, winning the third-place match by fall in the final 15 seconds while already ahead 18-7.

Notes and Top Performers

At least three Ducks won individual regional championships for a fifth straight season.
The team's 37.5-point margin over the runners-up is its largest margin of victory since the streak of five straight began, and more than doubled its margin from last season.
Wagner's semifinal victory gave him 30 wins for the year.
Martsinovsky's two pins gave the Ducks 11 for the weekend, to go along with six technical fall victories.

From the Mat (Head Coach Anthony Bonaventura)

"The team was locked in and focused heading into this weekend. Their performance was impressive to watch. Outstanding work over the last two days and we are bringing a lot of fire power to the NCAA Championships. Proud of this group but we are not satisfied. More work to be done!"

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