CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Adrian College NCAA men's wrestler Aiden Smith is set to return to the national stage this weekend at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships. Smith makes his second appearance at the national tournament after placing fourth last season to earn All-American honors.
Smith enters this year's tournament as the No. 4 seed at 165 pounds after capturing the NCAA Division III Central Regional Wrestling Championships title for the second consecutive year. He will await the winner of the play-in bout between Dylan Cariveau of University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and Cade Parent of Roanoke College in the championship bracket.
Smith carries a 24–1 record into the national championships and was named All-MIAA and the MIAA Most Valuable Wrestler for the second straight season.
He opened the year by winning the Adrian Invite at 157 pounds before moving up to 174 pounds to claim a victory against Case Western Reserve University. Smith later returned to 157 pounds and finished second at the Concordia Wisconsin Invitational, suffering his only loss of the season.
Smith continued his strong campaign with a first-place finish at the Messiah Petrofes Invitational and went on to win six straight dual matches, including a 3–0 record in MIAA competition.
At the NCAA Central Regional, Smith went 4–0 after receiving a first-round bye. He won by fall in his opening match, followed by a 17–1 technical fall in the quarterfinals, an 11–2 major decision in the semifinals, and a 1–0 decision in the championship bout.
Smith will now look to make a run at a national title for the Bulldogs. Advancing to Day 2 of the tournament would secure a top-eight finish and All-American status.
The championships will take place March 13–14 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse, with wrestling scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. ET on both days.
