Big-time wrestling is coming to Providence this weekend.
No, not WWE Raw theater with bodies flying over the ropes, heroes and villains performing to a choreographed script and spectators intoxicated from spectacle more than sport.
No, 210 of the finest collegiate wrestlers in America will be in town for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. They will compete in an arena better known for Providence College basketball and Providence Bruins hockey.
This is the first time in 32 years the nationals are being held in New England. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy hosted the tournament in 1993.
For Lonnie Morris, it’s a dream come true. He was an All-America wrestler at Rhode Island College in the early 1990s and launched the wrestling program at Johnson & Wales University in 1997. He has developed one of the strongest programs in Division III, and his current team is a prohibitive favorite to win it all this week.
Seven Wildcats qualified for the nationals by placing among the top three finishers at the Northeast Regionals. Four are regional champions, two are runners-up.
“They know what they have to do,” Morris told me Saturday.
More about them in a moment.
This tournament will consist of first-round matches Friday at 10 a.m. and quarterfinals and second-chance matches Friday at 5 p.m. Semifinals will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday and finals starting at 6:15 p.m. Saturday evening.
“The atmosphere will be electric,” Morris said. “People don’t realize the landscape of wrestling.”
Division III is the largest of the NCAA’s three divisions with 1,200 wrestlers competing for 130 colleges and universities. The national tournament started in 1974. Augsburg University from Minneapolis and Wartburg College from Waverly, Iowa, share the NCAA record for national titles with 15 each.
“This is the purest division. These kids do it for the love of the sport. They’re not getting paid,” Morris said. “Why do they do it? They love it.”
Wrestlers who stay with it for four years are a special breed.
“Less than 1% of high-school wrestlers wrestle all four years in college,” Morris said.
Hosting an NCAA championships for the first time, Johnson & Wales is going all-out to make this an exceptional experience. No surprise there. JWU is known for its hospitality program.
Kathy Kavanagh and her staff in special events are rolling out the red carpet, starting with welcome signs at T.F. Green International Airport. They scheduled a pep rally on campus Tuesday. Morris has urged his coaching counterparts from the Midwest to take their wrestlers to Narragansett Beach and other well-known Ocean State sites.
“These kids know cornfields. Some of them have never seen the ocean,” he said.
The event is proving popular. Advance revenue reached $200,000, exceeding the budget of $160,000. Advance ticket sales are stronger than for the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Morris said. He expects about 7,000 spectators.
The AMP floor will be transformed into a horseshoe with a practice area and officials station at the open end and six wrestling mats in the closed section.
Morris said the biggest round of the event is Friday night: the Blood Round. “If you don’t win, your season is over. If you win, you’re All-American,” he said.
The Wildcats have a chance to win.
Senior Joziah Fry from Coventry has lost one match in three years at 125 pounds, is a two-time national champion and is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Freshman Peyton Ellis, also from Coventry, finished second in the regionals at 133. Junior Jake Eckerle from Northport, N.Y., is the regional champ at 141.
Senior Hayden Brown from Exeter, N.H., is a two-time All-America and won the regional. He is ranked No. 1 in the nation at 149 pounds. Sophomore Jack Richardson from Danielson, Conn., was the regional runner-up at 165. Senior Dylan Harr at 197 is the regional champion and a two-time All-America. Adolfo Betancur from Johnston was third in the regional at 285 pounds.
The finals in each of the 10 weight classes will take place Saturday night on a 54-foot stage in the middle of the arena.
“It’s pretty special,” Morris said.
Competing in front of their fans makes this tournament even more special for the JWU wrestlers. Two formidable opponents stand between them and the first national championship for a New England team. The University of Wisconsin — La Crosse is sending nine wrestlers. Augsburg, the 2024 champion, is sending eight.
“They are two of the best teams in the country,” Morris said.
Wisconsin — La Crosse finished third a year ago. JWU was fourth. During the awards ceremonies, the second, third and fourth-place teams take a bow and accept a trophy. The champions get T-shirts and hats.
“We don’t care about trophies. We’ve been there and done that,” Morris said. “We want the hats and the t-shirts. If we take second or we take third, it’s gonna hurt bad.”
This story is reported by The Public’s Radio.
