ROANOKE, Va. - The #21 Coe College wrestling team opened the NCAA DIII Wrestling National Championships on Friday, taking part in the first two sessions of the tournament. Senior Kaleb Reeves and sophomore LJ Richardson made headlines on the initial day, earning all-American honors while wrestling their way into Saturday's semifinal round. Reeves was dominant en route to the third all-American honor of his career, earning a pair of first-period pins to score 12 team points for Coe. The senior's quarterfinal match lasted just 23 seconds as Reeves scrambled with his opponent from Ferrum College before pinning him for the victory. Richardson, who advanced out of the first round after his opponent medically forfeited, showed no signs of rust in the second round as he claimed a 6-0 decision to advance. The Prosper, Texas native picked up a crucial takedown late in the first period and managed the remainder of the match to claim a spot in the semifinals. As a team, Coe sits in ninth place after two sessions, earning 23 team points overall. Augsburg leads the overall team score, picking up 62.5 points on day one to lead second-place Baldwin Wallace and Wartburg who each earned 40. 
 
Session I Recap:
The Kohawks put together a strong opening session, going 3-1 overall with one fall and one sudden-victory decision. LJ Richardson wrestled for just eight seconds in his first-ever NCAA match, earning his way into the quarterfinals after his opponent, the number-one seed, was forced to medically forfeit. Tristin Westphal then secured Coe's first true-upset at 184, defeating the third-seed in sudden victory, 11-9. The lone Kohawk defeat of the opening session occurred at 197 as Jared Voss was pinned by the third seed after some early back-and-forth action for both wrestlers. Kaleb Reeves put the icing on the opening-session cake for Coe at 285, securing a pin in 2:15 to cruise into the quarterfinals. 
 
Session II Recap:
Richardson saw his first real action of the tournament after a quick medical forfeit in his opening contest. The sophomore showed no fear early on, throwing a few shots before landing a takedown with little time left on the first-period clock. He hung tough for the final two periods and rode out the remainder of the third frame to secure a 6-0 decision. Tristin Westphal then suffered a narrow defeat in the 184-pound quarterfinal, dropping a 5-2 decision to #6 Bentley Schwanebeck-Ostermann of Augsburg. Westphal grabbed an early lead in the match but saw his opponent finish strong as the senior dropped into the second round of the consolation bracket. Jared Voss saw his tournament come to a close a few minutes later, dropping his consolation matchup 7-4 to drop to 0-2 on the day. Kaleb Reeves capped off a dominant day for the Kohawks in the heavyweight quarters, wasting no time with a pin in just 23 seconds to secure his spot in the semis. Reeves' opponent went for a big throw early on the in the match and the Sigourney native remained calm, gaining position prior to ending the contest with relative ease. Westphal's all-American hopes fell just short in Coe's final match of the opening day, falling 2-1 in the second round of the consolation bracket. 
 
Up next: The Kohawks are back in action tomorrow as Reeves and Richardson will wrestle in the national semifinals with a chance to punch their tickets to the National Championship bouts. 
 
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