LA CROSSE, WI- Junior Captain Ces Antista rebounded well after a first round defeat and went 1-1 in the remaining portion of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
Antista's second match of the day was against Paul Marcello of Johns Hopkins, a national qualifier last year at 133 pounds. After falling on riding time earlier in the day Antista was able to get the better of the riding time clock.
Midway through first period Ces was taken down and found himself down 2-0. The action was stopped and reset to the center of the mat.
Out of down position on the re-start Antista was able to slither out for an escape and was down 2-1 when the first period ended.
In the second period Antista started on bottom and earned an escape. The rest of the match was spent in a neutral hand fight with neither wrestler able to gain control.
The match entered the third period tied at 2-2. Needing to get a hold, Antista started on top and mustered up almost 90 seconds of riding time in third period to gut out a 3-2 victory.
In the second wrestle-back round, competing for an opportunity to be named All-American, Antista was paired up against sixth seeded Andrew Zobac of North Central (IL). Antista put together a valiant effort but fell by a 10-4 margin. Zobac put together a strong effort including four takedowns by a crafty single leg sweep. "Ces' opponent in the third round was very impressive" said Hasenfus. "He was very good on his feet and his style, sweep singles that targeted the opposite foot, was unlike anything we had seen previously. I am proud of how hard Ces worked. He battled all the way to the end."
"Ces could have easily been in the semi-finals of this tournament. He came up just short in his first match of the day. He really wrestled well against some great competitors. He only wrestled for half a season because he was studying abroad, but he put together a great junior campaign. Ces is a great leader and a great captain and I am looking forward to the great things he will accomplish next year.
