Four Cavaliers Alive After First Day at NCAA Championships

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March 19, 2015

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ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Virginia’s George DiCamillo (R-So., Highland Heights, Ohio) advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships Thursday, highlighting a wild, up-and-down day for the Cavaliers at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. DiCamillo is one of four Virginia wrestlers who advanced through the first day at the championships, which were filled with a barrage of upsets at every weight class.

After the first day of competition, Virginia has totaled nine points and stands in a 16th-place tie in the team standings. The Friday competition begins at 11 a.m. ET and airs on ESPNU, while ESPN3 has coverage of all eight mats.

The No. 12 seed at 133, DiCamillo scored a last-second takedown at the end of sudden-victory time to upset fifth-seeded Zane Richards of Illinois, 6-4, to advance to the quarters. DiCamillo (28-7) wrestles two-time All-American Cody Brewer of Oklahoma, the No. 13 seed, on Friday morning; the winner becomes an All-American.

Cavaliers Nick Sulzer (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio) and Blaise Butler (R-Jr., Belvidere, Ill.) each were upset in their second-round bouts. Seeded fourth at 165, Sulzer (27-3) was stunned when No. 13 seed Cooper Moore of Northern Iowa pinned him 2:19 into the first period. It marked the first time Sulzer has been pinned this season. Sulzer was trailing 2-1 at the time of the fall. He falls into the consolation bracket, where he wrestles Princeton’s Jonathan Scleifer Friday morning.

Seeded No. 5 at 174, Butler (19-5) dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 12 seed Kyle Crutchmer of Oklahoma State in the round of 16. He moves into the consolation bracket, where he matches up with Brian Harvey of Army on Friday morning.

Nick Herrmann (Jr., Amarillo, Texas) advanced in the wrestlebacks at 125. With a takedown just before the third-period buzzer, Herrmann (16-8) eliminated Northern Colorado’s Trey Andrews, 7-5, and advances to wrestle two-time reigning national champion Jesse Delgado of Illinois in the Friday morning session.

Joe Spisak (R-Sr., Boiling Springs, Pa.), Andrew Atkinson (R-Fr., Lynchburg, Va.) and Zach Nye (R-Jr., Enola, Pa.) saw their seasons after losses Thursday evening. After picking up an 11-2 major decision over Rider’s Chuck Zeisloft in the consolation pigtail, Spisak was eliminated, 8-4, by Wisconsin’s Jesse Thielke. A four-time NCAA qualifier, Spisak concludes his UVa career with 81 victories.

Atkinson dropped a pair of pair of matches to seeded foes Thursday, including a 3-2 loss to No. 5 seed Cody Pack in the evening session as he finished his redshirt freshman season with a 17-14 record. Nye fell to Jake Smith of West Virginia in the second tiebreaker period based on Smith’s riding time advantage through the overtime periods. Nye’s season comes to a conclusion with a 18-8 record.

Virginia at the 2015 NCAA Championships Nick Herrmann (125 pounds) 1st Round – No. 10 seed Ronnie Rios (Oregon State) dec. Herrmann, 6-5 Conso Rd. 1 – Herrmann dec. Trey Andrews (Northern Colorado), 7-5 Conso Rd. 2 – Herrmann vs. Jesse Delgado (Illinois)

No. 12 seed George DiCamillo (133 pounds) 1st Round – DiCamillo major dec. Kevin Norstrem (Virginia Tech), 8-0 2nd Round – DiCamillo dec. No. 5 seed Zane Richards (Illinois), 6-4 (SV) Quarters – DiCamillo vs. No. 13 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma)

Joe Spisak (141 pounds) 1st Round – No. 3 seed Lavion Mayes (Missouri) major dec. Spisak, 14-4 Conso Pigtail – Spisak major dec. Chuck Zeisloft (Rider), 11-2 Conso Rd. 1 – Jesse Thielke (Wisconsin) dec. Spisak, 8-4

Andrew Atkinson (157 pounds) 1st Round – No. 12 seed Mitch Minotti (Lehigh) dec. Atkinson, 8-4 Conso Rd. 1 – No. 5 seed Cody Pack (South Dakota State) dec. Atkinson, 3-2

No. 4 seed Nick Sulzer (165 pounds) 1st Round – Sulzer major dec. Clark Glass (Oklahoma), 10-2 2nd Round – No. 13 Cooper Moore (Northern Iowa) pinned Sulzer, 2:19 Conso Rd. 2 – Sulzer vs. Jonathan Scleifer (Princeton)

No. 5 seed Blaise Butler (174 pounds) 1st Round – Butler major dec. Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan), 14-5 2nd Round – No. 12 Kyle Crutchmer (Oklahoma State) dec. Butler, 5-2 Conso Rd. 2 – Butler vs. Brian Harvey (Army)

Zach Nye (197 pounds) 1st Round – No. 2 seed Morgan McIntosh (Penn State) dec. Nye, 3-0 Conso Rd. 1 – Jake Smith (West Virginia) dec. Nye, 3-3 (TB-2, RT)

2015 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Schedule of Events – All Times Eastern Thursday (March 19) Second Session – 7 p.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Wrestleback Pigtails, Wrestleback First Round & Second Round

Friday (March 20) Third Session – 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Quarterfinals & Wrestleback Second and Third Rounds Fourth Session – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3) Semifinals & Wrestleback Fourth and Fifth Rounds

Saturday (March 21) Fifth Session – 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN3) Wrestleback Semifinals & Third, Fifth and Seventh-Place Rounds Sixth Session – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3) Championships Finals