Day 1 Brackets  

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Blaze Shade cruised in his opening match of the day, and then punched his ticket to Saturday's semifinal round and earned all-America status by toughing out a 3-2 decision in the evening session to highlight action for the UNC Pembroke wrestling team on Friday evening at the NCAA Division II Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
 
Shade came within a gnat's eyelash of posting a major decision in his opening match of the day with Pitt-Johnstown's John Blankenship, but settled for an 8-1 decision nonetheless. He found the goods to be much harder to find in the evening session, but used a second-period takedown to key a 3-2 decision over fourth-ranked Nolan Kistler of California Baptist in the quarterfinal round.
 
Shade will take on third-ranked Adam Cooling (36-2) from Minnesota State in Saturday's semifinals. Cooling posted a pair of tight decisions in his two matches on Friday.
 
Senior Mikey Thomas fell in both of his matches on the day, suffering a heartbreaking pin with three seconds left in regulation in his first-round contest with eighth-ranked Zach Stodden from Nebraska-Kearney. Thomas was on the wrong end of a 13-8 decision with Pitt-Johnstown's Levi Niebauer in Friday's evening session.


 

174 Pounds

No. 2 Blaze Shade (UNCP) dec. John Blankenship (UPJ) D 8-1 No. 2 Blaze Shade (UNCP) dec. No. 4 Nolan Kistler (CBU) D 3-2

133 Pounds

No. 8 Zach Stodden (UNK) pinned Mikey Thomas (UNCP) F 6:57 Levi Niebauer (UPJ) dec. Mikey Thomas (UNCP) D 13-8