PHILADELPHIA, PA. - Eren Civan and Kevin Lester both finished 1-1 on day two of the NCAA Championships, bowing out of the tournament on Friday, March 18. Both wrestlers finished 2-2 for the tournament to close out successful junior seasons.
Civan won his first match in a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against John-Martin Cannon of Buffalo in the first tie-breaker. His next opponent was a familiar face as he squared off against Stephen Burak of Penn. Civan defeated Burak twice already this season in close matches, 3-1 in the dual bout, and 3-2 at the EIWA Championships. Similar to all matches between these two wrestlers, it came down to the wire. Unfortunately this time around it was Burak who came out on top with a 6-3 tie-breaker win over Civan. He finishes his impressive season with a 23-13 overall record.
Lester game out strong to begin the day with a bang, pinning No. 17 Clayton Jack of Oregon State in just 41 seconds. In his second match of the third session, Lester dropped a hard fought 5-1 decision to No. 14 Brendan Barlow of Kent State to end his tournament run. Lester finished with a team-high 28 wins this season as he concludes with a 28-10 overall record.
After four sessions, Columbia finished with nine team points, ranking them tied for 39th with Buffalo and Purdue after two days of competition.
