Junior co-captain Matt Magill finished eighth and earned All-America honors in the 157-pound weight class at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, hosted by Coe and Cornell colleges in Cedar Rapids, IA, on Friday and Saturday, March 5-6.

Magill clinched his first-ever All-America honor by pinning Justin Skillings of St. Olaf College in his first consolation bracket bout on Friday.

After pulling out a 2-1 decision over #8 seed Frank Cammisa of Bridgewater State University in his first bout on Friday, Magill dropped a close 3-1 decision to #1 seed Jesse Harrington of Delaware Valley.  

Moving into the consolation bracket., Magill knew that a victory would assure him of gaining All-America status. And, he did not waste much time earning that honor. With about a minute left in the opening period and the score tied 0-0, Magill recorded a takedown and immediately put his opponent into a half-nelson.    

"He put him on his back and stuck him," said NYU assistant coach Cory Luce.

The official time of the pin was 2:13. 

On Saturday, Magill was topped by #5 seed Jason Adams of Augsburg College by a 7-3 decision and then was defeated 7-2 by William Horvath of Ithaca to finish eighth in his class. The top eight finishers in each bracket earned All-America honors.

Overall, Magill's victories were worth 7.5 points, lifting NYU to a 33rd-place national finish among the 50 teams represented at the Championships.

Unfortunately, NYU's other co-captain and NCAA qualifier, Gregg Martino, did not fare as well. Competing in the NCAA's for the second consecutive season, the 141-pounder opened with a gritty performance in a tough 6-4 loss to #3 seed Austin Bautista of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Martino also fell short against #6 seed Vince Tucket of Olivet College in the consolation bracket, dropping a 10-6 decision.

"Gregg was wrestling in a very, very tough bracket, and he hung right in there," NYU head coach Bruce Haberli said. "It's a tough ending for him for two years, but he's a good wrestler and he'll come back strong.

NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Information | Brackets