GETTYSBURG, Pa. – It is officially make or break time for the Gettysburg College wrestling team as it preps for the NCAA Division III East Regional Championship hosted by Ferrum College at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va., on Sunday, March 1.
 
The last five months of work on the wrestling mat has been geared toward this weekend's event. If the Bullets can finish among the top three in their respective brackets, they advance to the NCAA Division III Championship slated for March 13-14. Anything outside of the top three will put an end to the season for the Gettysburg grapplers.
 
"This is the week we've been training for all year," said Head Coach Andy Vogel. "In September, we started talking about getting ready for these last few important weeks. Our training has been focused on match preparation, readiness, and feeling good on Sunday morning when the tournament begins. Most of our improvement is done, the rehearsals are over, and it's time to win matches."
 
Vogel anticipates the same lineup that stepped onto the mats at the Centennial Conference Championship two weeks ago. Four grapplers – sophomore Brandon Carcuffe (Oxford, N.J./West Morris Central), senior Pat Thomas (Jamesport, N.Y./Riverhead), junior Tyler Cunningham (East Berlin, Conn./Xavier), and sophomore Camden Stoops (East Prospect, Pa./East York) – will compete in the regional event for the second consecutive season. The four grapplers will fill the brackets from 157 to 184 pounds this weekend. Senior Matt Laux (Bethesda, Md./Georgetown Prep) will make his second appearance in the regional bracket at 133 after competing as a sophomore.
 
Thomas, Stoops, and Laux have all posted career-high win totals this season, while Cunningham enters the weekend 15-11 with three falls at 174. He finished fourth at the CC Championship. Both Thomas and Laux are hoping to make some noise as their collegiate careers near the end.
 
"Seniors Matt Laux and Pat Thomas are in the home stretch of their careers," noted Vogel. "No matter what happens this weekend, we will be proud to have them wrestling with Gettysburg on their backs."
 
Making their debuts at the regional event will be freshmen Noah Malamut (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep), Jake Bracken (Chatsworth, Calif./Harvard-Westlake School), Quinn Merrigan (Canton, Mass./Canton), and Anthony Puca (Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) and sophomore Joey Bragg (Bird in Hand, Pa./Conestoga Valley). All five have been consistent contributors in the starting lineup throughout the season with Merrigan and Bracken ranking first and second, respectively, on the team in wins.
 
"Tyler Cunningham has been a leader on the mat for us all year and is in good position to place at this event," said Vogel. "If he wrestles up to his potential, he'll be on the podium. Quinn Merrigan is our team leader in wins, and he has improved every week. There are definitely guys in his bracket that are hoping to avoid him this weekend."
 
Opening matches on Sunday are set to begin at 9 a.m. The championship and other placement matches are slated for about 6 p.m. Live results from the regional championship will be posted here: http://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/VerifyPassword.jsp?tournamentId=169682009.