There truly is no place like home.
 
Junior Jarrad Lasko and senior Blake Dixon placed second and third respectively on Saturday afternoon at the 2018 Division III Central Regional Tournament, punching their tickets to the National Wrestling Championships in two weekends.
 
The venue and location for this year's edition of the grandest stage in Division III wrestling… the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
For the Cuyahoga County and Lake County natives, the 10.4-mile trek to the Public Auditorium in two weekends will be a memorable one, with the opportunity to compete on the sport's grandest stage in their own backyard.

Complete Results:  Brackets //  Team Scores
 
JCU as a team finished seventh out of 18 teams at the regional tournament, collecting 59.0 total team points. The winner of the regional was Baldwin Wallace, who scored 165.5 total team points in the two-day competition.
 
With a 4-3 win by decision in the semifinal round, and a medical forfeit in the 149-pound championship match, Lasko finished second place and will compete at the National Tournament for the first time in his career.
 
After falling in the second round of the 165-pound championship bracket, Blake Dixon roared back to win four consecutive consolation round bouts, and punch his own ticket to the National Tournament.  Dixon placed third with a 4-2 win by decision over Jesse Gross of Mount Union, and will head to the National Tournament with 81 career wins.
 
Two other Blue Streaks secured placing honors on Saturday in the Central Regional competition.
 
Freshman Vittorio Santillo (174) finished the weekend with a 4-3 mark and a sixth place showing, but impressively won four consecutive matches after dropping his opening bout, to place and finish sixth at the tournament.
 
Fellow freshman Jarrad Brezovec (141) picked up two wins in the consolation round, but fell in the consolation semifinals to go to the fifth/sixth-place match. Brezovec took a medical forfeit and placed sixth.
 
Of the five Blue Streaks left on day two, two are going to the National Tournament and two are regional placers. The two regional placers, Brezovec and Santillo, are in their first year of collegiate competition.