PEMBROKE, N.C. — Belmont Abbey redshirt senior wrestler
John Carayiannis won all four bouts in the 149-pound weight class to earn a regional championship as he was part of five Crusaders who qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships Saturday at the Super Region II Championship at UNC Pembroke.
Carayiannis earned his fourth spot to the national championship with three wins via tech fall and another via major decision on Saturday. He defeated UNC Pembroke's Jake Piccirilli via a 17-2 tech fall to capture the title.
In addition,
Maxwell Kiel (174) earned a regional runner-up finish to qualify for nationals for the third straight year. After finishing fourth at Super Regionals a year ago, both
Elijah Boyd (133) and
Kyler Pickard (184) both finished in second place in their respective weight classes to earn a spot at nationals. Those two wrestlers, along with
Luke Kunath (141) have all qualified for nationals for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Caleb Moore (197) and
Mason Kump (285) both finished in fourth for Belmont Abbey.
As a team, Belmont Abbey finished tied for fourth with 107.5 points with King in the team standings.
The five national qualifiers are believed to be the most in program history in a single season. They will all represent Belmont Abbey in the 2025 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships that will be held March 14-15 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The championship brackets will be announced on March 7.
The full results from Saturday's Super Regionals can be found
here.
RESULTS
125: Brett Balzan
- Champ. Round 1 - Brett Balzan (BAC) received a bye
- Quarterfinal - Christian Luker (UMO) def. Brett Balzan (BAC) (Dec 8-3)
- Cons. Round 2 - Alex McMiller (EU) def. Brett Balzan (BAC) (Dec 10-5)
133: Elijah Boyd (Second Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Elijah Boyd (BAC) received a bye
- Quarterfinal - Elijah Boyd (BAC) def. Gavin Mastrangelo (EU) (MD 14-2)
- Semifinal - Elijah Boyd (BAC) def. Logan Robinson (UNCP) (Dec 11-4)
- 1st Place Match - Christian Davis (Lander) def. Elijah Boyd (BAC) (MD 14-4)
141: Luke Kunath (Second Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Luke Kunath (BAC) received a bye
- Quarterfinal - Luke Kunath (BAC) def. Frank Bianco (Coker) (MD 10-1)
- Semifinal - Luke Kunath (BAC) def. Benjamin Hernandez (UMO) (Dec 4-3)
- 1st Place Match - Isham Peace (Lander) def. Luke Kunath (BAC) (Dec 6-3)
149: John Carayiannis (REGIONAL CHAMPION)
- Champ. Round 1 - John Carayiannis (BAC) def. James Thaxton (LMU) (TF-1.5 1:44 (18-1))
- Quarterfinal - John Carayiannis (BAC) def. Kymontae Wright (Coker) (TF-1.5 2:06 (17-1))
- Semifinal - John Carayiannis (BAC) def. Brennan Watkins (King) (MD 15-6)
- 1st Place Match - John Carayiannis (BAC) def. Jake Piccirilli (UNCP) (TF-1.5 4:26 (17-2))
157: William Nix
- Champ. Round 1 - Carson Freeman (UM) 13-7 def. William Nix (BAC) (MD 11-1)
- Cons. Round 1 - William Nix (BAC) received a bye ()
- Cons. Round 2 - Dennis Virelli (Newberry) def. William Nix (BAC) (MD 12-1)
165: Christian Arrington
174: Maxwell Kiel (Second Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Maxwell Kiel (BAC) def. Colby Teague (UMO) (TF-1.5 3:59 (19-4))
- Quarterfinal - Maxwell Kiel (BAC) 14-4 def. Aiden Knight (UM) (TF-1.5 5:34 (23-8))
- Semifinal - Maxwell Kiel (BAC) def. Nathan Buckovich (Lander) (Dec 5-2)
- 1st Place Match - Clinton Morrisette (King) def. Maxwell Kiel (BAC) (Dec 12-9)
184: Kyler Pickard (Second Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Kyler Pickard (BAC) def. Chase Bisel (EU) (TF-1.5 3:49 (17-1))
- Quarterfinal - Kyler Pickard (BAC) 19-9 def. Jerrel Baskins (Allen) (MD 9-1)
- Semifinal - Kyler Pickard (BAC) 19-9 def. Calan Staub (UMO) (Dec 4-2)
- 1st Place Match - Andrew Reed (Newberry) def. Kyler Pickard (BAC) (Dec 4-2)
197: Caleb Moore (Fourth Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Caleb Moore (BAC) received a bye
- Quarterfinal - Caleb Moore (BAC) def. Christopher Dickey (UNCP) (MD 13-5)
- Semifinal - Marvelous Rutledge (Lander) def. Caleb Moore (BAC) (Dec 3-2)
- Cons. Semi - Caleb Moore (BAC) def. Raife Smart (UMO) (Dec 10-3)
- 3rd Place Match - David Bertrand (King) def. Caleb Moore (BAC) (Dec 8-2)
HWT: Mason Kump (Fourth Place)
- Champ. Round 1 - Mason Kump (BAC) received a bye
- Quarterfinal - Mason Kump (BAC) def. Slade Watkins (UMO) (Dec 4-1)
- Semifinal - Ogden Atwood (UNCP) 12-2 def. Mason Kump (BAC) (Fall 4:24)
- Cons. Semi - Mason Kump (BAC) 17-10 def. Willie Cox (UM) (TF-1.5 0:00 (16-1))
- 3rd Place Match - Kale Schrader (Newberry) def. Mason Kump (BAC) 17-10 (Fall 3:48)
