CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Bridgewater State College senior John Marsh (New Bedford, MA) finished in fifth place in the 149-pound weight class to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday and Saturday.
Marsh is only the second All-American in Bridgewater State wrestling history joining Craig Buckley who achieved the honor in 2002 and again in 2004. Marsh is also the highest NCAA Tournament placewinner in the history of the wrestling program as Buckley finished seventh in 2002 and sixth in 2004.
After posting a 2-1 record on Friday, the sixth-seeded Marsh opened day two action with a win by fall (3:49) over Justin Berns of Concordia. Marsh then dropped an 8-2 decision to top-seeded Blaine Woszczak of Ithaca College in the consolation semifinals to put him in the fifth place match.
In his final bout of the tournament, Marsh avenged a second round loss to Jason Pyle of Luther College as he pinned the number three seed at the 2:24 mark of the first period.
On Friday, Marsh opened the tournament with a win by fall (5:32) over Isaiah Britton of Lycoming College and then dropped a heart-breaking 8-7 overtime decision to Pyle in a match that was decided in the first tie-breaker.
In the consolation bracket, Marsh knocked off New England rival Corey Paulish of Williams College, 7-2, to secure All-American status and to advance to the consolation quarterfinal match with Berns.
Marsh finished with a 4-2 mark at the national tournament as he completed the 2009-2010 season with a 35-3 record. His .919 winning percentage is second only to Buckley's .932 (41-3) mark in 2001-2002. Marsh also finishes his career with 110 wins as he is tied for third all-time at BSC along with Buckley and fellow senior Frank Cammisa.