By Christine Houghton
Sports Editor
The Lions traveled to Roanoke, Virginia on Friday, March 8 to compete in the NCAA Championships. The team took eighth place overall. Senior Ryan Budzek, junior Dan Kilroy and sophomore Jake Giordano took the competition by storm.
Giordano started the day in the consolation bracket of the 133-pound category. After several takedowns, he moved on to the next round only to fall to his opponent and take a spot in the fifth-place match.
Earning a final takedown in the last seconds of the match, Giordano was able to secure fifth place in his weight class and finish the season with a 28-5 record.
Budzek began in the semi-finals of the 149-pound category and moved on to the finals after a 8-1 win.
After an even battle, Budzek came out on top in the final round to secure his championship title with a 4-2 victory. After four years on the team, he ended his career with an 84-20 record.
In the 174-pound category, Kilroy lost in the first round and then advanced to a consolation semi-final match, which he won. After advancing to the third-place match, Kilroy took the fall and settled for fourth place, ending his season with a 32-3 record.
Giordano ended the season with his first ever All-American honor.
Budzek ended his career as a two-time national qualifier and as a 2019 weight-class champion.
Kilroy ended his season as a three-time national qualifier, two-time regional champion and two-time All-American.
The team finished the season on a 16-match winning streak with a 16-1 record and was ranked 13th overall in the division.
