Individual Results | Team Scores

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Sophomore Zach Thomson (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) cleaned house on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships inside the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, winning his final three matches in dominating fashion to win the consolation bracket and claim All-America recognition for the first time.
 
Thomson barely broke a sweat in his opening two bouts, posting a pair of pins that totaled just over two minutes of mat time. In the consolation final, the Bullet grappler took down The College of New Jersey's Zach Zotollo 10-3 for his fifth win of the event.
 
Thomson is Gettysburg's highest national finisher since Jake Dell '98 took second at 167 pounds in 1997. He is the first Bullet All-American since Andrew Goldstein '09 placed eighth in 2008 and he is the eighth Gettysburg grappler overall to claim national accolades.
 
“He wrestled great and he did a good job coming back after losing that opening match,” said Head Coach Andy Vogel. “He proved he was as good as anybody out there and I'm really proud of him.”
 
After falling in his first national match on Friday, Thomson ran the table to claim the bronze. Facing elimination on the opening day, he out-scored his next two opponents 27-4 in a pair of major decisions.
 
“I looked at each of those matches as just being another match,” said Thomson. “I guess you could have looked at it as I had my back against the wall, but I talked to coach and we both went with the game plan it was just another match.”
 
“After that first match, Zach needed to adjust the way he was wrestling,” said Vogel. “He wrestled at his opponent's pace instead of the way he was capable of. The game plan going in to today was to climb as high on the podium as possible. We knew if he did the things he wanted to do he would win.”
 
In the consolation quarterfinals, Thomson squared off with Matt Burns from Augustana College, who notched three wins on the opening day. Burns quickly found himself overmatched against the Bullet sophomore as Thomson scored an early takedown and secured a pin in 1:16.
 
Thomson's win set up a rematch with Kevin O'Brien from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the consolation semifinals. O'Brien, seeded fourth, knocked the sophomore out of the championship bracket with a 3-1 decision to open the tournament. The Eagle wrestler jumped out to the early lead with a takedown about 20 seconds into the rematch.
 
The deficit was short-lived as Thomson quickly broke free and tossed O'Brien to the mat for a 3-2 lead. O'Brien broke free temporarily before Thomson pulled off one of his patented takedown moves to put the Eagle's shoulders on the mat 53 seconds in.
 
“That move is like second-nature,” said Thomson. “I've hit it so many times in practice and in matches that when his elbow was in the right position I was able to hit it.”
 
Thomson would see another familiar face in the consolation finals in Zotollo. The two squared off for the East Regional title on March 2 with the Bullet sophomore coming out on top 9-0. The story was much the same at the national meet as Thomson secured a takedown 14 seconds into the match and rode out the period in the top position.
 
Thomson broke out of the down position to start the second period. Zotollo attempted to throw the sophomore over his shoulder, the same move he tried in the regional final, but Thomson was ready once again, dropping down on the Lion grappler for a takedown and three-point near-fall. Zotollo would get an escape in the second and manage a takedown midway through the third period, but time ran out on any comeback as Thomson finished with a 10-3 victory.
 
The Mechanicsburg, Pa., native is just one of seven wrestlers from the Centennial Conference to medal at the national championships. He closed the season with a 36-3 record, 11 pins, and 10 major decisions. His win total was the fourth-best in school history. Through two seasons, the sophomore has posted an impressive record of 77-6 with 24 falls and 20 major decisions.

Just on Thomson's performance alone, Gettysburg finished 20th out of 52 teams in the standings.
 
“He achieved a lot this season and he is set up to achieve even more in the future,” said Vogel.
 
“I still have two years left and I can do better,” said Thomson. “Being an All-American was one of my goals coming into this season. Next year, I want to make it back to nationals, be an All-American, and be a national champion.”
 
It was a strong showing for the Thomson family overall at the national meet as Thomson's younger brother, Josh, a freshman at Messiah College, placed third at 184 pounds.
 
NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships
Cedar Rapids Ice Arena – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
 
174 Pounds
#4 Kevin O'Brien (Wisconsin-La Crosse) dec. Zach Thomson (GC), 3-1
Zach Thomson (GC) major decision #5 Ryan Conat (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), 15-2
Zach Thomson (GC) major decision #6 Dan Schiferl (Wisconsin-Oshkosh), 12-2
Zach Thomson (GC) pinned Matt Burns (Augustana), 1:16
Zach Thomson (GC) pinned #4 Kevin O'Brien (Wisconsin-La Crosse), 0:53
Zach Thomson (GC) dec. Zach Zotollo (TCNJ), 10-3            Third-Place Match