Butterbrodt Advances to Day Two to Lead Brown Wrestling at NCAA Championships

Thursday, March 21

Pittsburgh, PA

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Brown University

NCAA Championships

Butterbrodt Advances to Day Two to Lead Brown Wrestling at NCAA Championships

3/21/2019 11:20:00 PM | Wrestling

Day One Results

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Senior 285-pounder Ian Butterbrodt earned a victory over Cornell to advance to day two of the NCAA Championships, leading Brown University wrestling on the first day of the 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.

Butterbrodt (North Andover, Mass.) – the No. 26 seed – beat No. 23 seed Jeremy Sweany of Cornell, 12-7, in the consolation to proceed to the second day of competition. Senior Christian LaBrie (Exeter, R.I.) claimed a win in the wrestle-back prelims before bowing out while seniors CJ LaFragola (Little Egg Harbor, N.J.) and Jon Viruet (Springfield, Mass. – making their third and second NCAA appearances respectively – both finished with two setbacks on the day.

"All of our guys wrestled very hard today, competing at the highest level of the sport," Brown head coach Todd Beckerman said. "It was great to see Ian get a win over Cornell to advance to day two, and Christian, Jon, and CJ can all hold their heads high for having great seasons and great careers. These seniors have really raised the bar for the future of this program."

Brown qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2002.

On Friday, Butterbrodt – who is making his first NCAA appearance – will meet No. 8 seed Demetrius Thomas of Pittsburgh in the wrestle-backs. Butterbrodt moved to 19-7 on the year and has won 15 of the last 16 bouts that he has contested.

In the first round, Butterbrodt – the No. 26 seed at 285 pounds – remained within 3-2 of No. 7 seed Trent Hillger of Wisconsin before Hillger scored a final takedown at the buzzer to finish with a 5-2 advantage. Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, Butterbrodt notched an escape with 1:15 remaining to trim the margin to 3-2 but could not overcome the deficit.

Coming back in the wrestle-backs, Butterbrodt jumped out to a 6-0 lead over Sweany in the first period behind a takedown and a 4-point near fall. He extended his edge to 9-0 through two periods. Sweany pulled as close as four points, 11-7, in the third period before Butterbrodt added a point for riding time.

Making his NCAA debut, LaBrie – the No. 30 seed at 157 pounds – challenged No. 3 seed Ryan Deakin of Northwestern in an eventual 7-4 setback in the first round. Facing a 5-0 deficit through two periods, LaBrie battled back with a takedown and reversal in the final stanza before Deakin held on for the win.

LaBrie responded with a 13-1 major decision over No. 32 Alexander Klucker of Lock Haven in the consolation prelims. He gained an 8-1 lead after one period with a pair of takedowns and a 2-point near fall and pushed the edge to 10-1 through two periods on his way to the victory.

In his next consolation bout, LaBrie dropped a 12-6 decision to No. 14 Zach Hartman of Bucknell. The two wrestlers stood tied 6-6 through two periods before Hartman notched six points in the final stanza. LaBrie closed the year with an 18-20 record and finished his career 52-34 overall.

Viruet – the No. 17 seed at 165 pounds – nearly topped No. 16 Thomas Bullard of NC State in the round of 32 before dropping a 3-2 decision. After a scoreless first period, Viruet brought a 1-0 lead into the third stanza. After Bullard pulled ahead 3-1 with 1:45 remaining, Viruet scored an escape but could not land a takedown in a scramble in the bout's final moments.

Returning for the wrestle-backs, Viruet dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 33 Joseph Smith of Oklahoma State. Trailing 3-0 entering the third period, Viruet scored an escape before Smith closed out the bout. Viruet concluded the year with a 31-10 mark and ended his career with a 97-54 record.

In the first round, LaFragola – the No. 27 seed at 184 pounds – fell via major decision, 10-0, to No. 6 seed Drew Foster of Northern Iowa. Foster held a 4-0 lead after the first period and 7-0 edge through two stanzas on his way to the shutout.

Taking part in the consolation, LaFragola battled No. 22 Mason Reinhardt of Wisconsin in a 5-3 setback in the second sudden victory period. With the score tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation, neither wrestler scored a point in the first sudden victory stanza or first tiebreaker period.

After LaFragola allowed Reinhardt the escape to start the second tiebreaker frame, LaFragola notched a takedown before Reinhardt added another escape to send the match to a second sudden victory period tied at 3-3. Reinhardt took the bout with a takedown in the period. LaFragola finished the year with a 24-11 mark and closed his career with a 76-46 record.

In the team standings, Brown stood 45^th out of 70 schools at the end of day one with 2.0 points. Penn State leads the team standings with 32.5 points.

Brown Results

157 Pounds
No. 30 Christian LaBrie (1-2)
Thursday
No. 3 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) def. LaBrie in Round of 32, Dec. 7-4
LaBrie def. No. 32 Alexander Klucker (Lock Haven) in Consolation Prelims, MD 13-1
No. 14 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) def. LaBrie in Consolation, Dec. 12-9

165 Pounds
No. 17 Jon Viruet (0-2)
Thursday
No. 16 Thomas Bullard (NC State) def. Viruet in Round of 32, Dec. 3-2
No. 33 Joseph Smith (Oklahoma St.) def. in Consolation, Dec. 3-1

184 Pounds
No. 27 CJ LaFragola (0-2)
Thursday
No. 6 Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) def. LaFragola in Round of 32, MD 10-0
No. 22 Mason Reinhardt (Wisconsin) def. LaFragola in Consolation, Dec. 5-3 SV2

285 Pounds
No. 26 Ian Butterbrodt
Thursday (1-1)
No. 7 Trent Hillger (Wisconsin) def. Butterbrodt in Round of 32, Dec. 5-2
Butterbrodt def. No. 23 Jeramy Sweany (Cornell) in Consolation, Dec. 12-7
Friday
Vs.No. 8 Demetrius Thomas (Pittsburgh) in Consolation