EDMOND, Okla. – Jeremiah Larson is the NCAA Division II Super Regional IV champion at 197 pounds. He will be joined by Nick Zamora (157) and Cole Ritter (174) in two weeks in Sioux Falls, S.D., for the NCAA Division II Championships.
 
In total, the Saints tallied seven placers, with both Ritter and Zamora finishing as runners-up. JP Homfeld placed fourth at 133, Elijah Almarinez fifth at 125, Jonovan Smith fifth at 285 and Mustafa Salimi sixth at 165.
 
Maryville finished fifth overall at the regional, with host Central Oklahoma capturing the team title.
 
 
INS & OUTS
After a first-round bye, Larson opened his day with a first-period fall over Trey Brewer of Central Missouri. That would not be his only pin. In the semifinals, trailing by a point, Larson turned No. 3-ranked Garrett Wells of Central Oklahoma and secured another fall to punch his ticket to nationals.
 
Still not finished, Larson faced McKendree's No. 5-ranked Logan Kvien in the championship bout. A third-period takedown with 41 seconds remaining put Larson in front 4-1, and he held on for a 4-2 decision to claim the 197-pound regional crown.\

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For Ritter, the day began similarly, as he recorded a first-period fall in the quarterfinals. In a rematch against Zeke Waltz of McKendree with a nationals berth on the line, Ritter again got the better of the matchup, earning a 4-2 victory to advance to the finals. He would fall 6-3 to No. 3-ranked Hunter Jump of Central Oklahoma in the championship match.
 
Homfeld fell one match short of advancing to nationals. He avenged an earlier loss to UIndy's Aidan Sprague in the consolation semifinals to reach the third-place bout, where he dropped a 7-1 decision to place fourth.
 
At 125, Almarinez advanced to the semifinals before falling to No. 12-ranked Eli Kirk of Central Oklahoma. A loss in the consolation semifinals ended his championship hopes, but he closed his standout freshman season with a first-period fall in the fifth-place match.
 
Smith experienced a similar path at heavyweight. His first loss came in the semifinals via tiebreaker, followed by a setback in the consolation semifinals. He rebounded with a win over Central Oklahoma's Ryan Nichols to secure fifth place.
 
Rounding out the placers was Salimi, who finished sixth at 165. He went 2-3 on the weekend and was forced to forfeit in the fifth-place match to conclude his season.
 
UP NEXT
Larson, Ritter and Zamora will compete at the NCAA Division II National Championships March 13-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D.