5 Braves Headed to the NCAA Championships
Nick Daggett (right) and Luke McDonough (left) holding their first place trophies from the Super Regional Tournament. Submitted Image/Nicholas Daggett.
By Zachary C. Young, Editor-in-Chief
Published March 4, 2021
After finishing second out of 11 schools during the Super Regional Tournament, Feb. 27, the number 24 ranked Braves Wrestling team saw five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The Braves finished their regular season 12-0 on Feb. 11, and their performance at the Super Regional solidified their national ranking.
Sophomore Logan Seliga and seniors Nicholas Daggett, Luke McDonough, Ryan Monk and Bryce Walker all qualified for the NCAA Championship, March 12-13.
McDonough (149 weight class) and Monk (285 weight class) went undefeated, placing first. Daggett also went undefeated, placing first in the 125-weight class. This is his fourth consecutive year qualifying.
Both Seliga (133 weight class) and Walker (197 weight class) finished the tournament in third place.
Daggett said, “Going into the tournament I expected nothing but the best from myself and I was quite happy to be able to perform like I expected and pick up my third consecutive title.” Daggett added that the highlight of the tournament for him was seeing his teammates cheer him on and the support he experienced from the coaches and staff.
Monk is a redshirt senior who previously played football at Penn State University, and believes that football and wrestling skills go hand in hand. “Being a defensive and offensive lineman translates directly into my style of wrestling. Ultimately, football helped my wrestling by being able to use my body in power positions and reacting to situations on the mat much quicker than if I did not play,” said Monk.
Monk expressed admiration for the performances of Seliga and Walker. “Logan Seliga and Bryce Walker wrestled their hearts out to punch their tickets to the tournament. Both guys had to wrestle on the backside of their respective brackets and earned their way to the NCAA tournament,” added Monk.
