NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Clarion wrestling team's stay at the 2016 NCAA Division I Championships came to a close on Friday afternoon, as Brock Zacherl and Michael Pavasko were both eliminated in the wrestlebacks at Madison Square Garden.

Clarion finished 65th overall at the NCAA Championships, with a cumulative record of 2-4 and 1.5 points on the weekend.
 
Both wrestlers won a match while in New York, but neither was able to string together multiple victories.  Zacherl fell in an 8-5 decision to Princeton's Jordan Laster, while Pavasko lost on a technical fall 16-0 to Bryce Hammond of Cal-State Bakersfield.
 
Zacherl saw his stellar freshman campaign end with a difficult match against Prince's Jordan Laster in wrestlebacks.  Things started out in favor of Zacherl as he snagged Laster's ankle and shoved him backwards to the mat for a two-point takedown to open the first period.  Laster eventually escaped and the two remained at arm's length for the rest of the period.
 
Laster started the second period in the down position and escaped to tie the score, and quickly added a takedown of Zacherl to go ahead 4-2.  Zacherl escaped but Laster struck again, taking him down and getting the tilt points to build an 8-4 advantage and eventually take the 8-5 victory.
 
Despite the relatively disappointing finish, the overall success of Zacherl's season cannot be forgotten.  He became the first Golden Eagle to win the 141-pound division at the Eastern Wrestling League championship since Frank Edgar in 2005 and finished the year with an impressive 28-3 record.
 
"You can look at it a couple of different ways with Brock," said head coach Keith Ferraro.  "On one hand he had a heck of a freshman year, but the other side is that Brock has high expectations for himself and is disappointed with his finish.  He does a great job of being reflective and making the changes he needs to make to take the next step, though, and I've no doubt he's going to do what it takes to get back here."
 
Pavasko concluded his Clarion career against Hammond, with Hammond taking early control of the match with a takedown.  Hammond was able to keep a strong handle on Pavasko, earning three four-point near-falls and another two-pointer to take the tech fall win in the first period.
 
The lone senior on the Golden Eagle team, Pavasko finished his career with his first ever EWL championship, winning at 174-pounds to become the Clarion wrestler to win that class in program history.  He finishes the season with a 22-15 overall record.
 
"It was really satisfying for us as coaches and Mike as a wrestler to finish his career at the NCAA Tournament," said Ferraro.  "He's made continual growth through his career and to see it end in New York is rewarding.  I'm proud of him and the way he ended his career."