Fanning Captures WJU Wrestling First National Title

3/10/2018

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Confident heading out to Iowa, the big and agile heavyweight knew it would be tough! Terrance Fanning capped his best wrestling of his three-year career by overmatching No. 1 ranked Kameron Teacher of Notre Dame College for an 8-2 win and captured the NCAA Division II 285 National Championship!

With three ranked wrestlers defeated, Fanning took down Teacher in the opening 20 seconds, added his 45 seconds left in the second and finished the bout with a third for good measure as the clock showed 18 seconds left for the national title victory.

The Fanning title capped the most successful Cardinals Culture wresting performance at the NCAA DII National Championships. Adding to this title earlier on Saturday, redshirt freshman Tyler Warner made the Championships WJU's first with multiple All-America awardees. Warner polished off his own All-America run by defeating four-time All-America and No. 2 ranked Nick Crume of Indianapolis, 7-5, to take seventh.

In the final team standings, WJU found itself standing alone in 13th place with 25.5 points, a program record. St. Cloud State took the top spot with 92.5 points followed by Notre Dame College (84.0) and California Baptist (70.5).

"Terrance Fanning was dialed in and he is a force to be reckoned with as the entire nation noticed over the last two days. It was so much fun being in his corner this year and to cap it off like that will be something no one will ever forget," noted WJU head coach Danny Irwin. "Him winning a National Title puts our program on another level and for the overwhelming majority of our team to witness it firsthand will undoubtedly make this a regular occurrence! With that, the top student-athletes know they can get a top notch education and pursue their highest aspirations athletically (here at WJU)."

Fanning tried to sum up his feelings on his run, "Becoming a national champion is a surreal feeling. But, I would honestly say that it's 10% me and 90% my team, coaches, family and friends that have won that. I was merely the facilitator. Events like this, shows what kind of people you have surrounding you. All my friends and family and even most of the staff and teams at Wheeling Jesuit were tuning in to watch or were giving me love and good luck. This is a rare and amazing feeling because no other school in the nation is like mine. We are all close and one big family. Although it was an awesome time this year and becoming a champion I am going to celebrate shortly and then get back to training for my next run at nationals next year."

With his run, Terrance started it with what were considered upsets of No. 4 Caleb Cotter of Central Oklahoma, who had pinned him at National Duals on January 4, by a 10-7 and No. 6 Mitchell Eull from Minot State, 6-3, for his Friday results.

In his Saturday afternoon Semifinal match, Fanning saw No. 12 Cody Johnson out of Colorado State-Pueblo in his way. The Cardinal knew he had defeated Johnson, 13-6, in the National Dual opening meeting and repeated the result by a 5-3 final.

Fanning completed the run and showed he should have been ranked. The redshirt junior controlled the title bout against No. 1 Teacher and leaped off his foe straight over to the large section of his WJU wrestling brothers, who were louder than any other cheering section in the U.S. Cellular Center the entire evening, to exude a roar of joy.

With a strong notable run of his own, Warner joined his brother Dustin as the only Cardinal freshman All-Americans. After the 141-pounder battled back with a pair of wins following a tight 3-1 loss to No. 3 Jarred Oftedahl of St. Cloud State.

In the Saturday morning Consolation Third Round, Warner went out to a 5-1 lead after a late second-period takedown over No. 8 Bryce Killian of King (Tenn.). The WJU wrestler continued to lead 5-2, but he was caught in a scramble on the edge, which looked like Warner had the advantage, until Killian turned it into a quick takedown and four nearfall points to take the match by an 8-6 final.

Warner, though, had one more top performance in him against four-time All-America Crume. He went on for the 7-5 decision over Crume and grabbed seventh place overall.

"Tyler Warner wrestled as well as we have seen all season. He knows and the coaching staff knows there were some things left on the table that could have been accomplished, however, some valuable lessons were learned in his freshman campaign that we believe will lead him to some remarkable feats down the road," pointed out Irwin.

Warner on his accomplishment, "It feels great to call myself an All-American as a freshman. I wanted to join my brother on the wall and that's what I did. Being Top 8 in the country is a huge accomplishment, but we aren't done. I'm still going to send it the next three years and bring individual titles and team titles back to home (Wheeling Jesuit)."

3/9/2018

Fanning Upsets Top 6 Pair to Reach Semis, Ty Warner Continues in Consols at NCAA DII Wrestling Nationals

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – In its most successful opening day at the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships, Wheeling Jesuit finds Terrance Fanning in the 285 Semifinals after two wins, while Tyler Warner remains active in the 141 Consolations.


The Cardinals saw four of its program-record five wrestlers win at least one match and they are now assured of having multiple All-Americans for the first time in program history.

"The ups and downs of a day is hard to really process right away. However, I couldn't be prouder of the fight and heart we showed all day," said WJU head coach Danny Irwin.

The Cardinals coach continued, "T (Terrance) is right where he wants to be as he is controlling space and tempo really well. He will look to continue that tomorrow, which will be fun to watch. Ty Warner rose to the occasion and battles back for two big wins to All-America. He will be a dangerous guy in the wrestle backs tomorrow."

After being 14-2 since the National Duals, Fanning pulled off a pair of Top 6 ranked opponent upsets on his way to the Semifinals. The heavyweight avenged a National Duals loss by fall with the final three points in a 10-7 win over No. 4 Caleb Cotter of Central Oklahoma. The redshirt junior followed with a strong 6-3 decision over No. 6 Mitchell Eull from Minot State in the Quarterfinals. Fanning will now have a National Duals rematch with No. 12 Cody Johnson of Colorado State-Pueblo, who he defeated 13-6.

"Today has been a rollercoaster ride! On the upside, we have two guys moving onto the second day and our team had an amazing day of wrestling. On the down side, we have three guys that aren't moving on and it's been bitter sweet," noted Fanning. "Luckily, we have an amazing team fan group here and a coaching staff that is pumped up and ready to go. One might say they are more excited than us wrestlers! Wheeling Jesuit should never be underestimated because once the nation turns there heads and forgets about who we are as a team and school, that is the specific moment that they instantly regret."

Tyler Warner claimed wins in two of his three close matches and continues to Saturday's Consolation Third Round. The redshirt freshman fell 3-1 in the First Round to St. Cloud State's No. 3 Jarred Oftedahl. Warner battled back to take down No. 12 Brandon Ball of Fort Hays State, 6-3, and Isaiah Royal from Newberry, 4-1, in the Consolation Second Round. Warner will see returning All-American and No. 8 Bryce Killian of King University in the Third Round.

Two-time All-America Dustin Warner (133) saw his illustrious WJU career come to a close one-win shy of making it to the national honor for a third time. After a strong 6-0 opening shutout, the senior fell in a 4-1 upset to No. 9 George Farmah of Minnesota State and bowed out in a 5-1 sudden victory loss to West Liberty's Darius Bunch.

"DJ Warner is the reason our program is where it is today. He committed to the program four years ago and has given 100% to helping the program get better. He is a wonderful young man that has represented our university tremendously. We are all disappointed and it wasn't what he set out to do, but he left everything on the mat," proclaimed Irwin.

Keegan Driscoll met the same fate as Warner in the 165-pound field. The junior lost a close 7-4 decision to No. 5 Seth Elwood of Minnesota State, before he secured a 4-3 win over No. 8 Nick Vandemeer out of Lake Erie College. A Super Region I foe, No. 9 Devin Austin from UPJ won the scramble for the overtime takedown for the 4-2 victory.

"Keegan is such a warrior. He couldn't have wrestled any better then he did all day, but he just missed his goal. The progress he made this year is something that should show everyone that anything is possible," pointed out Irwin.

True freshman Aidan Pasiuk (184) fell short to undefeated No. 2 Jordan Murphy of Ashland, 20-3, before a late surge was not enough in a 7-4 defeat to No. 7 Corey Abernathy of Minnesota State. Pasiuk ended his first season at 22-9.

Irwin commented, "Aidan Pasiuk had two tough matches, but has a better understanding of what its going to take to win at this tournament a year from now.

285
Fanning (29-6) was able to avenge a National Duals loss to Central Oklahoma's No. 4 ranked Caleb Cotter. Fanning went out to a 4-0 lead after a first-period takedown and two near-fall points. Terrance extended the margin to 6-2 in the second period with a second takedown. Starting neutral in the third, Cotter took down Fanning at 1:03 and added a pair of near fall points, but the WJU wrestler escaped to tie the bout, 7-7, with 48 seconds left. Only 16 seconds later, Fanning put his arms around both of Cotter's legs for the match-deciding takedown and added a riding-time point for the 10-7 final.

In the Quarterfinals, Fanning opened with a takedown with 45 seconds left in the first period, but Eull of Minot State escaped and tied the bout with another escaped eight seconds into the second period. The Cardinal heavyweight took Eull back down with 1:10 remaining in the second and never trailed for the 6-3 win.

141
Against the No. 3 rated 141-pound wrestler, Cardinals redshirt freshman held his own. Tyler Warner (27-8) fell behind St. Cloud State's Jarred Oftedahl in the first period on a takedown, but he pulled back to within 2-1 on an escape. The match remained that way through the second and third frames for a 3-1 loss due to riding time.

Following two scoreless periods, Ball of Fort Hays State reversed Warner at 1:14 only to see the WJU grappler return the favor and add a four-point near fall 25 seconds later for the lead and eventual 6-3 win. Warner kept it rolling in the Consolation Second Round. He took down Royal of Newberry 1:17 of the first period and never gave up the advantage for the 4-1 win.

133
After a scoreless opening two periods, Warner escaped Lawrance Dudgeon of Ashland for the first point. DJ then took down his opponent and registered two near-fall points to make it 5-0. The Cardinal senior made it a 6-0 final with riding time.

Minnesota State's Farmah gained a takedown on Warner 37 seconds into the bout and never gave up the lead. Warner had a first-period escape, but could not capitalize on anything else in the 4-1 decision.

In the third meeting of the season, West Liberty's Bunch was given the first point on a stalling penalty against Warner with 49 seconds left in the second period. With 1:01 of riding time, Warner held off Bunch for the tying point, 1-1. Then, with 13 seconds left in overtime, Bunch won the rush for the winning points for the 5-1 win.

Warner finishes his career as the lone two-time WJU All-America wrestler and as the top wins record holder with 99.

165
Tied at two with two periods down, No. 5 Seth Elwood of Minnesota State edged ahead of Driscoll, 3-2, on an escape. With 1:50 left, Driscoll went on top with a takedown right after the Elwood escape to make it 4-3. Elwood, though, escaped again and secured the winning takedown with 1:03 left for the eventual 7-4 decision.

Driscoll came back to equal his regular season success against No. 8 Vandermeer of Lake Erie. Tied at 2 in the third frame, Driscoll held of Vandermeer's charge twice in a matter of second only to make one of his own takedowns with 1:01 on the clock. Vandermeer escaped with 22 seconds, but it was not enough as Driscoll won 4-3.

In the Consolation Second Round, Driscoll tried to avenge a close 2-0 dual match loss at the hands of No. 9 Austin of UPJ. Down 1-0 after two periods, Driscoll took Austin down at 1:01, but an immediate escape tied it at 2-2. The bout went to overtime where Austin won a tight close contact rush for the takedown with only 24 seconds left for the 4-2 win.

Driscoll finished his best year at 23-15 and first trip to the Nationals.

184
Pasiuk found out how tough No. 2 and undefeated Jordan Murphy of Ashland is. With 41 seconds in the first period, the WJU freshman reversed Murphy, but just over 10 seconds later the move was made on him to make it 4-2. Murphy took control of the bout from there as he went on for a 20-3 tech fall in 6:59.

Down 7-2 with a minute left, Pasiuk took down No. 7 Abernathy of Minnesota State at 48 seconds. The first-year Cardinal could not turn the advantage into more points and saw his season end on the 7-4 decision.

Pasiuk went 22-9 with multiple tournament titles in his first season.

2018 NCAA Division II Championships Results for Wheeling Jesuit

133
Dustin Warner (19-6) place is unknown and scored 1.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 19-6 won by decision over Lawrance Dudgeon (Ashland) 25-15 (Dec 6-0)
Quarterfinal - George Farmah (Minnesota St.) 12-6 won by decision over Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 19-6 (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Round 2 - Darius Bunch (West Liberty) 27-5 won in sudden victory - 1 over Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 19-6 (SV-1 5-1)

141
Tyler Warner (28-8) placed 8th and scored 4.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Jarred Oftedahl (St. Cloud St.) 29-3 won by decision over Tyler Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 28-8 (Dec 3-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Tyler Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 28-8 won by decision over Brandon Ball (Fort Hays St.) 34-7 (Dec 6-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Tyler Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) 28-8 won by decision over Isaiah Royal (Newberry) 23-15 (Dec 4-1)

165
Keegan Driscoll (23-15) place is unknown and scored 0.50 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Seth Elwood (Minnesota St.) 16-9 won by decision over Keegan Driscoll (Wheeling Jesuit) 23-15 (Dec 7-4)
Cons. Round 1 - Keegan Driscoll (Wheeling Jesuit) 23-15 won by decision over Nick Vandermeer (Lake Erie) 25-12 (Dec 4-3)
Cons. Round 2 - Devin Austin (Pitt.-Johnstown) 18-7 won in sudden victory - 1 over Keegan Driscoll (Wheeling Jesuit) 23-15 (SV-1 4-2)

184
Aidan Pasiuk (23-9) place is unknown and scored 0.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Jordan Murphy (Ashland) 24-1 won by tech fall over Aidan Pasiuk (Wheeling Jesuit) 23-9 (TF-1.5 6:59 (20-3))
Cons. Round 1 - Corey Abernathy (Minnesota St.) 20-7 won by decision over Aidan Pasiuk (Wheeling Jesuit) 23-9 (Dec 7-4)

285
Terrance Fanning (29-6) placed 6th and scored 8.00 team points.
Champ. Round 1 - Terrance Fanning (Wheeling Jesuit) 29-6 won by decision over Caleb Cotter (Central Okla.) 31-4 (Dec 10-7)
Quarterfinal - Terrance Fanning (Wheeling Jesuit) 29-6 won by decision over Mitchell Eull (Minot St.) 30-5 (Dec 6-3)



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