PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire wrestling team produced two All-Americans on the first day of the NCAA Division III Championships at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Jared Stricker (Sr. – High Bridge, Wis./Ashland) and Ian Pepple (So. – Hastings, Minn.) both guaranteed themselves a spot on the podium to earn the title of All-American on the opening day of competition.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Stricker, the reigning national champion at 174 pounds, will look to defend his title on Saturday. He won twice on Friday at return to the national semifinals for the third consecutive season. He dominated Ohio Wesleyan's Tyler Bodovetz with a 15-0 technical fall in the first period in his opener, and followed with a pin over eighth-seeded Javen Estrada of North Central (Ill.) in 5:09 in the quarterfinals.
• The win over Estrada guaranteed Stricker All-America status for the third consecutive season. He will try to return to the national championship match for the third year in a row when he wrestles fourth-seeded Hunter Mays of The College of New Jersey in Saturday's semifinals. Stricker is seeking to become the first two-time national champion in UW-Eau Claire's history.
• Pepple, making his first career trip to nationals, clinched the first All-America honor of his career by going 3-1. The sophomore started his day with a pin of Messiah's Sawyer Dereszynski in 5:20. He was knocked out of the championship bracket after getting pinned by seventh-seeded Dylan Harr of Johnson & Wales, but kept his tournament alive with an 11-3 major decision over Ohio Northern's Gavin Layman. His 7-2 victory over Dubuque's Pilo Perez in the blood round punched his ticket to Saturday and earned him a spot on the podium.
• Pepple will wrestle Wheaton's Jackson Punzel in the consolation quarterfinals on Saturday. He has the opportunity to place as high as third.
• Zach Sato (Sr. – Oswego, Ill.) dropped his first two matches of the day to be eliminated from title contention. He fell to Olivet's Tyler Herrema by 10-4 decision in his first match, and dropped an 11-7 decision to Wabash's Daniel Uribe in the consolation bracket.
• Sato finished the season with a 34-5 record. The senior ranks second in UW-Eau Claire's history with 143 career wins. He was making his third career trip to nationals.

UP NEXT

The tournament wraps up on Saturday, March 15. The semifinals and wrestle-backs continue starting at 10 a.m. Eastern. The national finals begin at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugolds.com or on our app, Blugold Sports, and on social media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.