MOORHEAD, Minn. - McKendree junior Ryan Strope won the NCAA Division II Region 3 title at 157 pounds Saturday, advancing to the Division II National Championships.
Strope (Fatima High School), seeded No. 2 at 157, posted a 4-0 record in his tournament. He picked up a pair of wins Friday, winning by fall in 6:49 against Jordan Hegel from the University of Mary and then taking a 5-2 decision against Northern State's Blake Perryman.
On Saturday, Strope won his semifinal against Zak Benitz of Upper Iowa in an 8-2 decision to advance to the championship match.
He then won by fall in 1:43 against St. Cloud State's Larry Bomstad, the top seed in the region, to take the title and improve his season record to 38-7.
Bomstad is ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II at 157 by d2wrestle.com, while Strope is ranked No. 5.
Strope will wrestle next in the national championships, which are scheduled for March 10-11 at Birmingham, Ala. The top four wrestlers in each weight class at the regional qualify for the national championships.