ITHACA, NY – The Johns Hopkins wrestling team totaled 47.5 points and advanced five of its nine entries to day two of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships at Ithaca with a strong effort on the first day of competition.  The Blue Jays currently sit in ninth place in the 21-team field; The College of New Jersey rolled up 80 points to grab a lead in team standings after the first day.
 
Lorin, Paul Move Into Semifinals
Senior 133 Brent Lorin and graduate student 174 Joe Paul advanced to Saturday's semifinals and can punch their ticket to the NCAA Division III Championships with a win there.
 
Lorin opened his day with a forfeit victory over Elizabethtown's Scott Reagan to move into the quarterfinals, where he edged Patrick Snoke of Penn College, 8-5.  Lorin built a 5-3 lead after one period, was up 7-5 after two and used an escape point in the third to get some breathing room and pick up the three-point victory.  He will take on top-seeded Jayden Cardenas of Oneonta in Saturday's Semifinals.
 
Paul opened with a decisive 12-0 victory over Alfred State's John Layfield.  Paul led 4-0 entering the final period and used an escape, takedown, a four-point near fall and a point of riding time to cruise to the major decision victory.  He added a hard-fought 5-2 win over Ithaca's Jackson Gray in the quarterfinals to advance to the semis.  A pair of takedowns and a third-period escape provided all the scoring he would need.  Paul will take on second-seeded Anson Dewar of Muhlenberg in the semifinals.
 
Three Alive in Consolation Bracket
In addition to Lorin and Paul, the Blue Jays also advanced freshmen Connor Powell (149), Jake Hoffmann (165) and Jacob Pomykata (285) to the second day.  All three rookies rebounded from a tournament-opening loss to win three straight and stay alive.
 
After falling by decision in his opening bout, Powell rebounded with three straight bonus-point wins.  He scored a second period pin of Selvin Maldonado (Elmira), added a 9-1 win over Dominic Vinci of Alfred and closed his day-one effort with an 18-2 technical fall of Tyler Rossini of Oswego.
 
Hoffmann also scored three straight wins after a tournament-opening loss as he scored a 9-4 decision over Oswego's Steven Felice and added back-to-back pins against Hollis Berry (1:48) and Mason Leshock (4:36).
 
Pomykata made it three Blue Jay freshmen moving on to day two as he followed an opening round loss with back-to-back wins by decision and a pin.  Locked in a tight bout with Jake Ahmad of Ursinus in his fourth bout of the day, he advanced by sticking his Centennial Conference rival; this win followed a 9-6 win over Anthony Vazquez of Oswego and a tight 4-3 win over McDaniel's Valentino Pryor.  In the win over Pryor, Pomykata broke a 3-3 tie at the start of the third with a quick escape point and held on for the one-point win.
 
Powell, Hoffmann and Pomykata all remain alive in the battle for third place in their respective brackets.  The top three finishers in each weight class qualify for the NCAA Championships.  Each will need to win three straight matches on Saturday to advance.
 
Patel, Osborne Finish 2-2
In addition to the five wrestlers who advanced, the Blue Jays got two wins from freshman Dhilan Patel (125) and graduate student Jared Osborne (157).  Patel picked up wins by decision and injury default, while Osbourne closed his career with a pair of wins by decision.
 
What's Next
Action at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships will resume at 11 am on Saturday in Ithaca's Athletics and Events Center.