FINAL BRACKETS

ADRIAN, Mich. – A day of mixed outcomes and emotions was in store for the Otterbein wrestling squad Saturday afternoon at the NCAA Regionals, as four Cardinals returned to the mat with three looking for an extended season.

SETTING THE STAGE:
Ryan Whitten (157), Joey Bradberry (184) and Jarrod Setliff (197) all woke up with semifinal bouts on their plate, as the top-three placers in each weight division qualify for the upcoming NCAA Championships. At the same time, freshman Cale Callahan was looking to improve his spot on the podium….

HOW IT WENT DOWN:
157: Whitten, facing a rematch with OAC foe Luke Reicosky, unfortunately came up short by an identical 3-2 decision that also occurred in a conference dual back in November. He then began his work back, topping Jayce Kuehnlein (Alma) 6-2 and setting up another league showdown…

A third-place spot for nationals was on the line against Baldwin Wallace standout Stanley Bleich, a former All-American at 149 pounds who moved up classes this year. Following a tight back-and-forth chess match, Bleich emerged with a 3-2 victory by the slimmest of margins.

165: Callahan dropped a narrow 1-0 result against Zach Altman (from the host Bulldogs) to begin the day. However, he bounced back nicely to defeat Heidelberg's Montavious Yearby for the second time in as many days with an 8-2 decision. That earned him a seven-place finish and podium spot.

184: Bradberry fell to eventual champion Antonio McCloud to start, but rallied with a dominant 15-0 tech-fall shutout over Blake Williams from Adrian in the next opportunity. A third-place showdown was up next with Charles Baczek (Wabash), who turned in an 8-0 major and forced Bradberry into fourth overall.

197: Setliff, a program journeyman, took a loss to No. 4-ranked Jack Heldt (Wabash) in his semifinal matchup. Nevertheless, he stayed the course with a workmanlike 7-5 decision over Jesse Kanatzar of John Carrol in the first wrestle-back chance...

Everything came down to an inter-conference tango with Ohio Northern's Cash Thompson. After seven minutes of action, Setliff found a way to stand on top with a 4-3 decision. He becomes Otterbein's third national qualifier, following in the footsteps of Whitten and good friend Drew Kasper.

UP NEXT:

• Setliff will compete at the NCAA Championships come March 11-12 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. More details and full brackets will be released in the coming week(s).