Three Saint John's wrestlers travel to Iowa for the 2016 NCAA Division III Championships this Friday and Saturday, March 11-12. Competition begins at 11 a.m. Friday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. – Live Results | Live Video | Brackets (Pdf)

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's earned three national entrants and finished fifth out of 12 teams at the NCAA West Regional two weeks ago (Feb. 27) at Augsburg's Si Melby Hall in Minneapolis. The host Auggies won the tournament with 155.5 points, followed by Concordia-Moorhead (124), Wisconsin-Platteville (104), Wisconsin-Eau Claire (90) and SJU (78).  

Senior Ben Henle (Spicer, Minn./New London-Spicer), who is ranked eighth nationally by the National Wrestling Coaches' Association (NWCA), earned his third consecutive trip to nationals with a regional title at 141 pounds. He started the day with a 7-2 decision and earned a trip to the title bout with a 3-1 win over Concordia-Moorhead's Blane Tschida in the semifinal. Henle won the title when his opponent, Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Nathaniel Behnke, did not wrestle due to a medical forfeit. 

Senior Mike Pleski (Stacy, Minn./Forest Lake) started his day with a pin before suffering a 4-3 overtime loss to the Cobbers' Gabe Foltz, who is ranked as high as fifth nationally, at 133 pounds. Pleski battled back with a 3-1 win in the consolation semifinal and punched his ticket to nationals with a 16-5 major decision over Wisconsin-Platteville's Scott Arneson in the third-place match. 

Junior Teddy Erickson (Annandale, Minn.) cruised to the championship match at 165 pounds with a pair of wins, 5-0 and 5-3. He suffered a loss in the title bout, via pin, to Augsburg's Eric Hensel, who is ranked as a contender by the d3wrestle.com poll and is a returning All-American. 

Junior Robert Tait (Faribault, Minn./Bethlehem Academy) just missed a trip to nationals with a fourth-place finish at 174 pounds. He lost his first match of the day, 10-8, but clawed back with a major decision and a wild 17-14 win over Augsburg's Austin Boniface. The Cobbers' Jake Johnson ended Tait's run, and season, with a 7-4 decision in the third-place match.

Junior Glenn Castro (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Westlake) advanced to the quarterfinal at 184 pounds thanks to a first-round forfeit and suffered a close 3-1 loss to Augsburg's Sebastian Larson. The consolation bracket was full of drama for Castro, who won his first bout in overtime (7-6) and lost his second, and an appearance in the third-place match, in overtime (3-2). He earned fifth place with a 20-8 major decision.

Like Castro, junior Branden Schorr (Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville) just missed an appearance in the third-place match with a one-point loss in the consolation semifinal. He went 1-3 on the day and claimed sixth at 149 pounds.

CONTINUED SUCCESS: SJU has now qualified two or more wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in 26 of the last 27 seasons. The three entrants are the program's most in three years, since it sent six in 2012-13.

AT 133: Pleski (20-18 record, 33-43 career) earned his first trip to nationals and will face second-seeded Nathan Pike of New York University in the first round. Pike (28-3) enters the tournament ranked first in both the NWCA and D3wrestle.com polls. He won four bouts at the NCAA Championships last year to earn a sixth-place finish and All-America honors. Pleski enters the match with wins in 14 of his last 18 bouts. 

AT 141: Henle (23-11 record, 81-38 career) enters his third career national tournament ranked as high as eighth nationally and kicks it off with a matchup against sophomore Ryan Budzek (24-2) from the College of New Jersey. Budzek, who is making his first appearance in the NCAA tournament, is ranked as high as sixth nationally. Also on Henle's side of the bracket is Wisconsin-Eau Claire senior Nathaniel Behnke (22-2), who forfeited the championship match to the SJU senior at the regional.

AT 165: Erickson (15-18 record, 33-48 career) will make his first appearance in the NCAA tournament in a pigtail match against top-ranked Farai Sewera of Coe (Iowa), the defending national champion at 165 pounds. Sewera enters the match with 15 consecutive wins and boasts a 25-2 season record. The winner will face Connor Brummett of Wabash (Ind.).