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Meyers grad Vito Pasone went 1-1 on the first day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships for Appalachian State.

The 125-pounder is now three wins away from being an All-American.

In his first bout on Thursday, Pasone lost via tech fall to Freddie Rodriguez from Southern Illinois University, 19-4. The only points Pasone could muster in the match against the No. 14 seed, in the 34-man bracket, were four escapes.

After winning his first consolation-round bout via medical forfeit, Pasone, a senior, will see No. 13 seed Shakur Laney from Ohio University as both look to avoid elimination and get one step closer to claiming All-American honors.

Benton/Northwest grad Zain Retherford (149, Penn State) won by technical fall twice on Thursday as he advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals. His former high school teammate Jeric Kasunic (197, American) lost his opening round bout on Thursday morning before meeting the No. 16 seed in the weight in the wrestlebacks, and beating Austin Severn from Central Michigan via fall in 5:21.

Wyoming Seminary products Jack Mueller (125, Virginia) finished 2-0 on Thursday, while Garrett Ryan (285, Columbia) won his first match then ran into Olympic gold medalist and defending national champ Kyle Snyder from Ohio State in the second round and was bounced into the consolations via tech fall. Another Sem product, Nick Reenan (174, N.C. State) lost both of his bouts as his freshman season concluded. Also representing the Blue Knights, Tyrel White (165 pounds, Columbia) lost both of his matches on Thursday and was eliminated.

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Times Leader

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