Jaxson Rohman placed second at 125 pounds at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships for the second straight season after dropping a 5-2 decision to Christian Mejia of McKendree in the championship match Saturday night.
After winning twice on Friday, the fourth-seeded Rohman advances to the national championship match with a 6-5 sudden victory overtime win over top-seeded James Joplin of Lander.
It’s the second straight season that Rohman beat the number one seed in the national semifinals. Last year he beat top-seeded, undefeated and two-time defending champion Cole Laya of West Liberty on his way to a runner-up finish.
Rohman pushed the pace early in Saturday’s match, taking shot-after-shot to force a stall warning in a scoreless first period.
Mejia grabbed control in the second period, earning an escape and a takedown for a 4-0 lead.
Rohman received a point as Mejia was called for stalling for a second time and then scored and an escape to trail 4-2 after two periods. Mejia was able to ride out the entire third period, earning him a riding point for the 5-2 final.
It’s the third trip to the national tournament for Rohman, who went 1-2 in the 2022 event.
The Martin County West graduate finishes his junior season with the Vikings with a 22-4 record. He has a career record of 57-17.
Here are Rohman’s national tournament results:
First round: Pinned Jacob Tangpricha (Central Missouri) 2:18.
Quarterfinals: Dec. Dayson Torgerson (Colorado Mesa) 11-4.
Semifinals: Dec. James Joplin (Lander) SV-1 6-5.
Championship: Lost to Christian Mejia (McKendree) 5-2