-- Story provided by Olivet College Athletics --
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. – Olivet College sophomore Donovan King posted a 3-1 record to be the runner-up finisher in the 285-pound bracket to earn All-American honors at the 2022 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship.
The last Olivet wrestler to finish second at the national championships was Jason Brew in 2009. King is the 17th All-American in school history. Overall, the Comets have earned 25 All-American citations.
In the national championship match against Jordon Lemcke from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, King fell by a 2-0 score. After a scoreless first period, Lemcke won the toss and elected the down position and earned the escape point. There was no scoring for the rest of the period. King had the choice to begin the third period and selected to go on bottom. He was not able to get out, and Lemcke picked-up the riding point at the end of the match.
To reach the title match, King defeated No. 6 seed Tyler Kim from Augsburg (Minn.) University, 3-1. King scored a takedown 55 seconds into the first period and rode Kim for the rest of the period. King chose the neutral position to start the second period, and neither wrestler was able to score any points. Kim elected to go down to open the third period and earned the escape point 14 seconds later. No points were scored for the rest of the period. King's first period ride gave him the riding point at the end of the match.
In his first match as the No. 7 seed, King pinned Jake Peavy from the University of Southern Maine. Peavy escaped eight seconds later before King got another takedown and two-point near fall to lead 6-1 at the end of the first period.
Peavy chose bottom to start the second period and got out for the escape point. Midway through the second stanza, King scored a takedown but Peavy escaped to make the score 8-3. King secured a takedown in the final 20 seconds of the second period to take a 10-3 lead into the third period.
King decided the neutral position to start the final period. A throw around the midpoint of the period for King resulted in a takedown and the pin with 1:12 remaining in the match.
In the quarterfinal match, King faced No. 2 seed Kaleb Reeves from Coe (Iowa) College. Off a throw attempt in the first period, he threw Reeves to his back and on the roll through, King locked-up a cradle to end match by fall in 55 seconds. Reeves entered the match with a 32-0 record, and of his 32 wins, 20 were pins. He ended the championship with two awards – most falls in the least amount of time at the tournament (four pins in five minutes), and most pins during the 2021-22 season (23 pins).
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH BRANDON BRISSETTE
"This weekend was an eye opener all around. First for Donovan, he came in having not seen much of the field, so even as a low seed, he had to prove he belonged and was a contender. He was at his first NCAA championship, with freshman eligibility, and just started scoring points and it led to more confidence and growth match-to-match. He then opened the eyes of the nation. In a weight where there was little in-season regional cross over many seeded wrestlers were bound to go down, and there was a new pecking order to be set. The route he took to the finals included beating the eventual third- and fourth-place wrestlers, including a fall over the top pinner in the tournament and all of Division III this season. Donovan came up short in the finals and showed he still has so much room to grow as a wrestler, but how can we not be excited for his future and this team! A special shout-out to my staff, Coach Jones, Coach Judge and Coach Neal, the time and energy they each invested into preparing him for this event and developing him all year is why he could be in this position. I also want to say thank you to the entourage of wrestlers and family who made the trip, as well as all the OWC Family watching from a far. It was impressive!"
Adrian's Dylan Wellbaum and Albion's Owen Miller also competed at the NCAA Championships.
