Dean Trailways Comets of the Week - March 4, 2024
The Dean Trailways Co-Male Comets of the Week are senior wrestlers Donovan King, of Detroit, and graduate of Farmington High School, and Dylan Phelps, of Holt, and graduate of Holt High School. King and Phelps secured top three finishes at the NCAA Central Regional to earn a trip to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championships.
King had a 3-1 record to finish second in the 285-pound bracket. He pinned his first two opponents – Edward Powers from Hiram (Ohio) in 1:16 and Demetrius Hernandez from Heidelberg (Ohio) – before winning a 17-0 technical fall over Mason Slocum from Adrian in the semifinals. King lost 3-0 in the championship bout to Doug Byrne from Baldwin Wallace (Ohio). He will be making his third straight trip to the NCAA Championships, looking to earn his third All-American award.
Phelps posted a 4-1 record to place third in the 141-pound bracket. He scored bonus point wins in his first two matches – 18-2 technical fall over Will Brodbeck from Hiram and 11-1 major decision over Robert Palmieri from Baldwin Wallace. In the semifinals, Phelps fell 6-2 to eventual champion Jacob Reed from Ohio Northern. Phelps came back with two wins – 16-1 technical fall over Drew Miller from Heidelberg and 16-12 decision over Art Martinez from Case Western (Ohio) – to punch his first-ever trip to the national championships.
The 2024 NCAA Division III Championships will take place Friday and Saturday, March 15-16 at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The brackets will be released on www.ncaa.com next Monday, March 11 at 5 p.m.