FULL BRACKETS

ROANOKE, Va. – Otterbein junior heavyweight Drew Kasper (Lexington/Lexington) opened his stay at the NCAA Division III Championships with two wins on Friday, one coming in the morning before a thrilling triumph during the evening session.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Kasper, seeded sixth in the 18-man bracket, remained undefeated with a comfortable victory in his initial bout against freshman Tommy Wrzesien from Johnson & Wales. He routinely scored early and ultimately secured a set of back points late in the third period, combined with a point of riding time, to end in a dominant 23-6 technical fall.
   
• A long wait then began as Kasper had over eight hours off before opening ceremonies and a monstrous quarterfinal showdown against defending national champion Jake Evans of Waynesburg.
   
• Evans, an ex-Marine who recently turned 30 years old, had just one D3 loss on the year. Kasper scored an initial takedown after 35-40 seconds of jostling and led the entire way, eventually hanging on for a narrow 12-11 victory.

 
INSIDE THE BOUTS:

• Kasper scored five total takedowns against Evans and was ahead the entire way, leading 6-3 after the first period and then 11-7 late. Evans notched a takedown and was forced to let Kasper up, bringing the score to 12-9. Another takedown from Evans made it 12-11 and Kasper, who had riding time in his favor, prevailed in the closing seconds.
   
• Kasper is now 31-0 on the season and two matches away from a potential national title. He is guaranteed a top-six finish and will be Otterbein's first All-American in the sport.
   
• The Ohio Athletic Conference was well-represented inside the Berglund Center, as double-digit competitors took the mat and also supported one another nicely. A deep group of wrestlers and coaches surrounded the mat for Kasper during his culminating bout with Evans and jumped around with joy as he emerged victorious.

 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"I thought it we got the first takedown, then we would win the match," head coach Brent Rastetter said. "He battled throughout that first minute and easily could have given up, but stayed with it all the way. Evans was heavy on the head and that wears you out. It took a toll on Drew but he hung on admirably in that final minute."

"I'm excited for Drew and the opportunity he has in front of him tomorrow," Rastetter continued. "He is a good kid, does things the right way and remains a great representative of our university and the wrestling program. I hope he leaves it all on the mat tomorrow and does everything on his own terms."

UP NEXT:

Kasper will square off against No. 2 seed Adarios Jones (Augustana) in a semifinal bout late Saturday morning. He will then either advance to the national title match later at night or enter the consolation semis.

The other semifinal match will feature Bowen Wileman (Wartburg) against Garret Wesneski (Lycoming). Wileman advanced after a wild 7-5 decision against top seed James Bethel of SUNY Oneonta.

Access the wrestling schedule page for live stats/video links regarding Saturday bouts and stay tuned to all of our social media outlets for important updates.