Blaine's Newman Earns Spot in NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships

2018 Feb 26

Jordan Newman, a native of Blaine, MN, graduate of St John's Northwestern Military Academy and member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team, will compete at the NCAA Championships March 9-10 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The No. 8 Warhawks placed third over the weekend at the two-day, 17-team NCAA Upper Midwest Regional Championships at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minn.

Senior Jordan Newman (Blaine, MN/St. John's Military Academy), junior Nicholas Bonomo (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) and sophomore Mike Tortorice (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) will represent the Warhawks at the NCAA Division III Championships after each finishing among the top three in their respective weight classes.

At 184 pounds, Newman captured his second straight regional title, downing No. 3/4 ranked Grant Wedepohl of UW-Platteville by an 11-0 major decision in the championship bout. Newman will compete for the third time at the national tournament, earning All-America honors with an eighth-place finish at 174 in 2015 and winning the national championship at 184 in 2017.

Bonomo punched his first-ever ticket to the NCAA Championships thanks to a third-place finish at 165 pounds. After falling in the semifinals, Bonomo posted a 6-4 decision by sudden victory to reach the third-place bout, where he downed Elmhurst's Keone Derain, ranked sixth by both the National Wrestling Coaches Association and D3wrestle.com, for the second straight day by a 9-0 major decision.

Tortorice will also make his first-ever appearance at the national tournament. Following a loss in the semifinals, he bested a pair of Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes in UW-Stevens Point's Ben Vosters and UW-La Crosse's Zach Villarreal, pinning No. 9/9 ranked Villarreal in the third-place bout.