UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio — Seven Wabash College wrestlers secured spots in Saturday's final day of competition as the Little Giants opened action Friday at the NCAA Division III Region V Tournament hosted by John Carroll University at the DeCarlo Varsity Center.
 
Wabash sits sixth in the team standings with 65.5 points after the opening day of competition. Wisconsin-Whitewater leads the field with 103.0 points, followed by North Central (95.5) and Millikin (76.0).
 
At 125 pounds, Andrew Punzalan battled through the championship and consolation brackets to remain alive heading into Saturday. After receiving a first-round bye, Punzalan earned a 13-4 major decision over Alejandro Cordova of Elmhurst in the second round. He dropped a 4-0 sudden-victory decision to Chicago's Matthew Barlay in the quarterfinals before rebounding with a 7-1 decision against Case Western Reserve's Edward Alizio in the consolation bracket to advance.
 
James Day powered through the 133-pound bracket with two falls to reach the semifinals. Day pinned Alma's Colton Kennedy in 2:17 in the second round, then added another fall in 1:57 against Manchester's Adrian Origel in the quarterfinals to secure his place in Saturday's championship-round action.
 
At 157 pounds, Andrew Ross earned a narrow 7-6 decision over Manchester's Brian Barrett Jr. in his opening bout before falling 4-3 in the quarterfinals to North Central's Kayle Bearson. Ross responded with an 11-2 major decision over Trine's Austin Crowder in the consolation bracket to continue his tournament run.
 
Cooper McCloy advanced at 165 pounds with a 5-0 decision over Trine's Lakin Webb in the second round. After being edged out by Adrian's Aiden Smith via technical fall in the quarterfinals, McCloy answered with a fall in 1:17 against Mount St. Joseph's Brayden Kuhling to move on to the final day.
 
Jaylen Young opened at 174 pounds with a 10-2 major decision over Elmhurst's Corey Bradley and followed with an 8-2 decision against Millikin's Kody Marschner in the quarterfinals to earn a semifinal berth.
 
Zachary Huckaby also reached the semifinals at 184 pounds. Huckaby secured an 8-3 decision over Wheaton's Jacob Kraker before adding an 8-1 victory against Elmhurst's Mataeo Blessing in the quarterfinal round.
 
At heavyweight, Titus Waters advanced with bonus points and an extra-session victory. Waters recorded a 14-4 major decision over Wisconsin-Whitewater's Jordan Lewis in the second round, then captured a 4-1 sudden-victory decision against Chicago's Edward Perry in the quarterfinals.
 
The tournament concludes Saturday with championship semifinals, placement matches, and bids to the NCAA Division III Championships on the line.