The 2021 wrestling season came to a close on Friday afternoon for the Navy Midshipmen and first-year head coach Cary Kolat, as Jacob Allen (133 / Jr / Poway, Calif.), Cody Trybus (141 / Sr / Elkton, Md.), Andrew Cerniglia (157 / Fr / Nazareth, Pa.), Tanner Skidgel (165 / Sr / Tulsa, Okla.) and David Key (184 / Fr / Norcross, Ga) bowed out of the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championship held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo.

While five of Navy's nine qualifiers advanced to the second day of competition, all five entered the day having already lost one match. Despite their best efforts, four of the five would succumb to their opening foe on Friday.

After dropping a tough 4-1 decision to sixth-seeded Allan Hart of Missouri in Thursday night's match, Trybus would fall short in Friday's bout against 12th-seeded Grant Willits of Oregon State 6-3. Following a scoreless opening period, Willits and Trybus exchanged reversals before Willits took the lead for good with an escape before the end of the second frame. Looking to score the go-ahead takedown, Trybus selected the neutral position to open the third stanza, but it was Willits who would tack on two points to his lead with a takedown before a final escape by Trybus.

A two-time EIWA Champion (2020, '21) and a two-time NCAA qualifier (2020, '21), Trybus closed out his career with a 66-29 record, including a 22-9 dual mark.

Skidgel's career also drew to a close with a 7-4 loss to 19th-seeded Gerrit Nijenhuis of Purdue in Friday's afternoon session. Nijenhuis led from the opening whistle, scoring a takedown just 11 seconds into the match. A three-time NCAA qualifier (2019, '20, '21) and two-time EIWA Champion (2019, '20), Skidgel amassed a 58-21 mark over four seasons that included a 19-6 dual record.

Allen shed the underdog title during the postseason, qualifying for the NCAA Championship after finishing as the runner-up at the EIWA Championship as the No. 7 seed. After extending his stay in his first-career NCAA Championship appearance with a 7-1 win in sudden victory over 11th-seeded Anthony Madrigal of Oklahoma on Thursday evening, Allen was unable to carry that momentum into Friday. Twelfth-seeded Jarrett Trombley of NC State scored the 4-0 decision and ended Allen's tournament.

Cerniglia looked to parlay his 5-3 victory Thursday night over 28th-seeded Caleb Licking of Nebraska into another win on Friday, however, Arizona State's Jacori Teemer had other plans. Eleventh-seeded Teemer, a two-time Pac-12 champion, dealt Cerniglia a 15-7 loss, his second of the tournament.

Key, meanwhile, advanced the furthest of the Mids' qualifiers after scoring a 10-3 victory over 19th-seeded Zach Braunagel of Illinois on Friday. After Braunagel knotted the match at 2-2 with an escape to start the second frame, Key followed up with a takedown at 1:31 and never looked back. He outscored Braunagel 8-2 over the final two periods to pick up his second win of the tournament.

After a quick break, Key returned to the mat where he met 22nd-seeded Devin Kane of North Carolina. Trailing 4-2, Key powered Kane to the mat and added a four-point nearfall to take an 8-4 lead going into the final period. A back-and-forth match saw Kane knot the bout at 9-9 with a takedown with just 26 seconds remaining. Key, however, broke free to take the one-point advantage with 19 seconds to go. But Kane would get the final say, scoring the match-winning takedown with just one second left for an 11-10 victory over Key.

Bowing out of the tournament following Thursday's competition were seniors Logan Treaster (125 / Newton, Kan.) and Casey Cobb (149 / Kuna, Idaho), along with sophomores Jacob Koser (197 / Dillsburg, Pa.) and John Birchmeier (285 / Ashburn, Va.). All four wrestlers were making their first appearance at the NCAA Championship.

With three sessions remaining in the championship, Navy closed out the fourth session in 32nd place having scored 7.5 points. Iowa, meanwhile, leads the field of 63 teams with 73.5 points and a 16-point advantage over second-place Penn State.

Navy Results at 2021 NCAA Championship
125 - (25) Logan Treaster (0-2)
• 11-4 this season | 55-24 career | 0-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (8) RayVon Foley, Michigan State / Major Dec / 14-0
• Consolation Rd 1: lost to (24) Fabian Gutierrez, Chattanooga / Dec / 8-3

133 - (27) Jacob Allen (1-2)
• 9-7 this season | 34-28 career | 1-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (6) Matt Schmitt, Missouri / Dec / 4-1
• Consolation Rd 1: defeated (11) Anthony Madrigal, Oklahoma / Dec / 7-1 SV
• Consolation Rd 2: lost to (12) Jarrett Trombley, NC State / Dec / 4-0

141 - (11) Cody Trybus (1-2)
• 13-2 this season | 66-29 career | 1-2 NCAA Championship career | Entered the tournament having won 21-straight matches dating back to 2020
• Championship Rd 1: defeated (22) Anthony Brito, Appalachian State / Major Dec / 10-1
• Championship Rd 2: lost to (6) Allan Hart, Missouri / Dec / 4-1
• Consolation Rd 2: lost to (12) Grant Willits, Oregon State / Dec / 6-3

149 - (19) Casey Cobb (0-2)
• 8-3 this season | 50-27 career | 0-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (14) Michael Blockhus, Minnesota / Major Dec / 10-0
• Consolation Rd 1: lost to (32) Greg Gaxiola, Hofstra / Dec / 3-2

157 - (21) Andrew Cerniglia (1-2)
• 9-3 this season | 9-3 career | 1-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (12) Brady Berge, Penn State / Major Dec / 12-4
• Consolation Rd 1: defeated (28) Caleb Licking, Nebraska / Dec / 5-3
• Consolation Rd 2: lost to (11) Jacori Teemer, Arizona State / Major Dec / 15-7

165 - (13) Tanner Skidgel (1-2)
• 12-4 this season | 58-21 career | 2-4 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: defeated (20) Cole Moody, Wyoming / Dec / 3-2
• Championship Rd 2: lost to (4) Mekhi Lewis, Virginia Tech / Dec / 3-2
• Consolation Rd 2: lost to (19) Gerrit Nijenhuis, Purdue / Dec / 7-4

184 - (20) David Key (2-2)
• 11-3 this season | 11-3 career | 2-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: defeated (13) Chris Weiler, Wisconsin / Fall / 5:38
• Championship Rd 2: lost to (4) Parker Keckeisen, Northwestern / Major Dec / 16-5
• Consolation Rd 2: defeated (19) Zach Braunagel, Illinois / Dec / 10-3
• Consolation Rd 3: lost to (22) Devin Kane, North Carolina / Dec / 11-10

197 - (18) Jacob Koser (0-2)
• 7-5 this season | 28-14 career | 0-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (15) Michael Beard, Penn State / Major Dec / 14-4
• Consolation Rd 1: lost to (4) Eric Schultz, Nebraska / Dec / 4-2

285 - (24) John Birchmeier (0-2)
• 7-4 this season | 23-13 career | 0-2 NCAA Championship career
• Championship Rd 1: lost to (9) Greg Kerkvliet, Penn State / Tech Fall / 18-0 (2:18)
• Consolation Rd 1: lost to (25) Nathan Traxler, Stanford / Tech Fall / 15-0 (5:30)

### Go Navy ###