ROCHESTER, N.Y. – J.C. Cardenas (Brooklyn/Grand Street Campus) advanced to the semifinals at 125 pounds and five other Cortland wrestlers are still alive in consolation brackets after the first day of competition at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Wrestling Championships, hosted by RIT. The regional concludes on Saturday, and the top-three placewinners in each weight class will advance to the NCAA Division III Championships. 
  
Cortland is seventh out of 21 schools in the team standings after Day 1 with 52 points. The College of New Jersey leads the standings with 92 points, followed by Ithaca (82), Elizabethtown (79.5), Ursinus (61.5) and Oswego (59.5) in the top five.
 
Cardenas opened action at 125 pounds with an 18-3 technical fall in 5:29 over Ithaca's Cosmo Damiani. He then outlasted RIT's Lee Rubin in the quarterfinals, 7-6, with the decisive point coming via riding time. Cardenas will face Muhlenberg's Joey Lamparelli in the semifinals.
 
Cody Merwin (Walton), Culley Bellino (Canastota), Christian Paredes (Bohemia/Connetquot), Robby Cunningham (Miller Place) and Dylan Houseknecht (Odessa/Odessa-Montour) each need three straight victories in the consolation bracket on Saturday in order to earn a national berth.
 
Merwin, at 133 pounds, lost his opener to Kaden Ware of Penn College of Technology, 6-0, but came back to earn an 8-0 major decision over Alex DuFour of McDaniel and an 8-2 win versus St. John Fisher's Derek Bernardino. Merwin begins action Saturday versus Frank DiEsso of Muhlenberg.
 
Bellino went 3-1 with three pins at 141 pounds and will face Noah Hunt of Penn College of Technology to open Saturday's slate. Bellino began Friday with a pin versus Hunt in 5:46 and a pin versus Peter Sacco of Oneonta in 4:35. He lost to RIT's Bryson Vaughn by pin in the quarterfinals but stayed alive with a pin of Selvin Maldanado of Elmira in 2:26.
 
Paredes began Friday at 149 pounds with an 11-2 major decision against C.J. Riccobono of Keystone. He dropped a 12-7 decision to Ithaca's Matthew Beyer in the quarterfinals, but rebounded to earn an 11-2 major decision versus Alexander Greco of Muhlenberg in the consolation bracket. Paredes begins Saturday with a match against Zack Vera of New Jersey City.
 
Cunningham is currently 2-1 at 184 pounds. He started with a pin in 2:45 versus Nathan Coon of St. John Fisher but lost by pin to Alfred State's Sean Malenfant in the quarterfinals. Cunningham closed the day with a 13-3 major decision over Centenary's Angelo Piazza. Cunningham faces Jake Jones of Ithaca to start Saturday's action.

Houseknecht had the most thrilling day for the Red Dragons on Friday with all three of his victories at 285 pounds coming in overtime. After a loss by pin to TCNJ's Peter Wersinger to start the competition, Houseknecht defeated McDaniel's Ezekiel Gayle in the first tiebreaker period, 5-1, with an escape and a takedown. He followed that with a 3-2 win over Alfred State's Nick Barrett in the second tiebreaker period, and he closed the afternoon with a 4-1 win over Jake Pomykata of Johns Hopkins on a takedown in the first sudden-victory period. Houseknecht will face St. John Fisher's Jackson Burns to begin Saturday's action.
 
Three Red Dragons were eliminated during Friday's competition: 
 
Kyle Klein (Miller Place) finished 1-2 at 157 pounds. After an opening 4-1 loss to Ithaca's Wenchard Pierre-Louis, Klein rallied from an 8-5 deficit with a penalty point and a takedown in the final 20 seconds for a 9-8 win over Paul Lichter of St. John Fisher. Klein lost to RIT's Marek Bush by technical fall in the next match and finishes the season with a 15-15 record.
 
Hunter Hughes (Selden/Newfield) went 2-2 at 165 pounds. He rebounded from a 3-0 loss to Chris Roybal of Johns Hopkins win his next two bouts - a pin in 2:28 versus Muhlenberg's Riley McHale and a 3-2 decision, after a riding time point, over Justin Smith of Alfred State. Hughes lost to McDaniel's Ryan Ohler, 7-5, and he closes the season with a 24-16 record.
 
Roman Jellick (Johnson City/Maine-Endwell) lost a pair of matches at 197 pounds - a 4-1 decision to Jaedyn Harris of McDaniel and by technical fall to Nicholas Smith of RIT. Jellick finishes the season with a 7-11 record.
 
Cortland did not have a competitor at 174 pounds.


CORTLAND RESULTS

125 pounds

J.C. Cardenas
tech. fall Cosmo Damiani (Ithaca), 5:29 (18-3)
Quarterfinals: dec. Lee Rubin (RIT), 7-6

133 pounds

Cody Merwin
lost to Kaden Ware (Penn College of Tech.), 6-0
major dec. Alex DuFour (McDaniel), 8-0
dec. Derek Bernardino (St. John Fisher), 8-2

141 pounds

Culley Bellino
pinned Noah Hunt (Penn College of Tech.), 5:46
pinned Peter Sacco (Oneonta), 4:35
Quarterfinals: lost to Bryson Vaughn (RIT), Pin 1:43
pinned Selvin Maldanado (Elmira), 2:26

149 pounds

Christian Paredes
major dec. C.J. Riccobono (Keystone), 11-2
Quarterfinals: lost to Matthew Beyer (Ithaca), 12-7
major dec. Alexander Greco (Muhlenberg), 11-2

157 pounds

Kyle Klein 
lost to Wenchard Pierre-Louis, 4-1
dec. Paul Lichter (St. John Fisher), 9-8
lost to Marek Bush (RIT), tech. fall 7:00 (18-3)

165 pounds

Hunter Hughes
lost to Chris Roybal (Johns Hopkins), 3-0
pinned Riley McHale (Muhlenberg), 2:28
dec. Justin Smith (Alfred State), 3-2
lost to Ryan Ohler (McDaniel), 7-5

174 pounds
No Cortland entry

184 pounds

Robby Cunningham
pinned Nathan Coon (St. John Fisher), 2:45
Quarterfinals: lost to Sean Malenfant (Alfred State), Pin 4:00
major dec. Angelo Piazza (Centenary), 13-3

197 pounds

Roman Jellick
lost to Jaedyn Harris (McDaniel), 4-1
lost to Nicholas Smith (RIT), tech. fall 7:00 (15-0)
 
285 pounds
 
Dylan Houseknecht
lost to Peter Wersinger (TCNJ), Pin 4:53
dec. Ezekiel Gayle (McDaniel), 5-1 (ot, tb-1)
dec. Nick Barrett (Alfred State), 3-2 (ot, tb-2)
dec. Jake Pomykata (Johns Hopkins), 4-1 (ot, sv-1)