Cedar Rapids, Iowa - March 11, 2022 - Springfield College's Joey Manginelli (Dumont, N.J.) competed in the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships on Friday in the U.S. Cellular Center.

A two-time national qualifier, this marked the first time that Manginelli was able to wrestle at the NCAA Championships, as he had qualified for the national event as a freshman in 2020 before the pandemic cancelled the championship.

The Business Management major entered the national tournament with a 17-2 record and had took third at the NCAA Division III Northeast Regionals to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. Opening up against seventh-seeded Carlos Champagne from Wabash, Manginelli dropped a 5-2 decision.  Champagne was able to secure a takedown late in the first and escape to start the second to build a 3-0 lead.  Manginelli was awarded a point at the end of the second because of stalling, but Champagne registered another takedown midway through the third before a late escape from Manginelli concluded the scoring. 

In the evening consolation bout against eighth-seeded Derek Steele of Augsburg, Manginelli controlled the match from the onset and earned a 5-2 victory.  Following a takedown in the first, Manginelli rode out Steele in the second and delivered another takedown midway through the third en route to his first victory in the NCAA Championships.

In his final action of the night, the junior took on Riley Parker from Washington And Lee University in the blood round with a spot on the podium on the line. Manginelli scored a takedown early in the first and held a 3-2 lead late in the third.  However, in the final seconds, Parker was able to take down Manginelli and pinned him with one second left in the match to escape with the victory.  

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