ITHACA, N.Y. - On Saturday, McDaniel College wrestling freshman Thomas Monn won the 149-pound title at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional hosted by Ithaca, earning a trip the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships next month.

The Green Terror finished eighth out of 21 teams with a total of 72.0 points, the most among the four teams from the Centennial Conference.

Monn, who is ranked third nationally by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and first in the Mideast Region, is the program's first regional champion since 2016 when Ryan O'Boyle (133) and Alvontae Drummond (141) both won titles and advanced to the national championships.

However, Monn is the first freshman to win a regional championship in the program's history.

Monn, posted two more wins on Saturday and now sits at 33-0 this season. He began the day with a 4-2 decision in the semifinals over TCNJ's Michael Conklin who is ranked fifth in the region before edging out a 2-1 victory over Matthew Beyer of Ithaca in the first-place match. Beyer is ranked 15th nationally by the NWCA and second in the Mideast Region.

With the top three wrestlers in each weight class advancing to the national championships, McDaniel had a chance to send three to nationals as senior Alex LaVeck and junior Jaedyn Harris both advanced to the third-place match at 165 and 197 pounds, respectively.

LaVeck fell in the semifinals to RIT's Austin Lamb, who is ranked eighth nationally and second in the region, before posting a 3-0 decision against John Hopkins' Jake Hoffmann to advance to the third-place match. However, his quest for his first national championship appearance fell just short as he was pinned by Elizabethtown's Brian Schneider who is ranked third in the region.

LaVeck finished his career with 68 wins, including 44 by fall which is the fourth-most in team history. He also owns the fastest pin in school history at just seven seconds. This season, he finished 22-8 with 13 falls while winning the 165-pound title at the Centennial Conference Wrestling Championships and placing fourth at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional after placing seventh a year ago.

Meanwhile, Harris opened with a 3-2 decision over a familiar foe in Kyle Schaffer of Ursinus. After defeating Brockport's Michael Sullivan by fall in 4:21 to advance to the third-place match, he was edged by RIT's Josh Harkless for the second time in as many days, 4-2. Harkless, who is ranked sixth in the region, posted a 3-2 decision over Harris on Friday.

125 - Alex DuFour (0-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Ethan Liptzin (Elizabethtown) dec. DuFour 6-0
7th Place Match - Ryan Berstler (Penn College) DQ DuFour

141 - Ryan Athey (0-2)
Cons. Round 3 - Noah Hunt (Penn College) dec. Athey 7-0
7th Place Match - Chris Horton (RIT) maj. dec. Athey 8-0

149 - Thomas Monn (2-0)
Semifinal - Monn dec. Michael Conklin (TCNJ) 4-2
1st Place Match - Monn dec. Matthew Beyer (Ithaca) 2-1

165 - Alex LaVeck (1-2)
Semifinal - Austin Lamb (RIT) dec. Alex LaVeck 4-0
Cons. Semi - LaVeck dec. Jake Hoffmann (Johns Hopkins) 3-0
3rd Place Match - Brian Schneider (Elizabethtown) pins LaVeck 4:44

197 - Jaedyn Harris (2-1)
Cons. Round 3 - Harris dec. Kyle Schaffer (Ursinus) 3-2
Cons. Semi - Harris pins Michael Sullivan (Brockport) 4:21
3rd Place Match - Josh Harkless (RIT) dec. Harris 4-2