PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Navy's Josh Koderhandt and Danny Wask each won a pair of matches to advance to the quarterfinal round of their respective weight classes Thursday at the NCAA Championship being held inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Additionally, Payton Thomas lost a pair of matches in his inaugural trip to the national championship.

"Koderhandt and Wask both are relaxed and focused on taking it one match at a time," said Navy head coach Cary Kolat.  "We are in a great position with having two Navy wrestlers into the quarterfinals."

141 / Round One / 4) Josh Koderhandt def. 29) Jayden Scott (North Carolina), 4-1 Sudden Victory
Koderhandt registered a 7-2 victory over Scott when the two met during the Nov. 9 North Carolina vs. Navy dual in Annapolis.

No points were awarded in the first period of today's match, then Scott scored one point on an escape 26 seconds into the second period.  That was the lone point scored until Koderhandt earned one point on an escape of his own 24 seconds into the third period.  Neither wrestler scored a point over the closing 96 seconds of the match, which sent the bout into overtime (1-1).  It took 20 seconds of the one-minute extra period for Koderhandt to tally three points on a takedown to win in sudden victory.

"Koderhandt has an ability for winning close matches," said Kolat.  "He wrestled instinctively in his first match.  He excels in overtime situations."

141 / Championship Round Two / 4) Josh Koderhandt def. 20) Joshua Saunders (Cornell), Fall (3:32 / 3-1)
Saunders advanced to the second round after he posted an 8-2 upset over 13th-seeded Todd Carter from Gardner-Webb.

The first period in the first meeting between the seniors was a stalemate as no points were awarded.  Saunders tallied the first point eight seconds into the two-minute second period on an escape.  Koderhandt then pinned Saunders 17 seconds later to end the match with a 3-1 lead.

The victory was the 14th in a row for Koderhandt and advances him into the quarterfinal round for the first time in his four trips to the national championship.  He previously won first-round matches at the 2022 and '24 events.  The fourth-seeded Koderhandt will face fifth-seeded Cael Happel from Northern Iowa Friday.

174 / Round One / 7) Danny Wask def. 26) Brody Baumann (Purdue), Technical Fall (6:41 / 15-0)
Wask had won a 9-5 decision over Baumann when the two met on Dec. 6 at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Today, Wask quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead through the first period as he scored on a takedown a little more than halfway through the frame.  He then recorded an escape early in the second period and added another takedown 29 seconds later to take a 7-0 advantage into the final period.  Another takedown (10-0) early in the third period was followed by a penalty point (11-0) against Baumann for stalling.  Wask then scored four points on a nearfall to end the match with 19 seconds left in the bout.

174 / Championship Round Two / 7) Danny Wask vs. 23) MJ Gaitan (Iowa State), 12-4 Decision
Gaitlin recorded an upset in the first round as he defeated 10th-seeded Alex Cramer from Central Michigan by a 13-2 major decision.  That led to the first match between him and Wask.

Wask scored first on a takedown just past the midpoint of the opening period.  He then added a point on an escape in the early stages of the second period to take a 4-0 lead into the final frame.  Wask increased his cushion to 7-0 with another takedown early in the third period.  Gaitan quickly sliced the deficit to 7-4 with an escape followed by a takedown within a span of eight seconds.  That scoring, however, left just 37 seconds left in regulation.  Wask answered with an escape (33 seconds), added a point when Gaitan was penalized for stalling (30 seconds), scored on a takedown (6 seconds) and received one more point for riding time.  

Wask, who lost in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Championship and has now posted an 11-2 record in his last 13 matches, will face second-seeded Levi Haines from Penn State Friday.

"Wask seems more mentally sharp than I have ever seen him," said Kolat.  "He came to wrestle and has been competing at a high level."

197 / Round One / 5) Michael Beard (Lehigh) def. 28) Payton Thomas, Technical Fall (3:45 / 19-4)
The fifth-seeded Beard –– who earned All-America accolades in 2021 (seventh place while at Penn State) and 2024 (eighth place while at Lehigh) and is competing in his fourth NCAA Championship –– posted a pair of victories over the freshman Thomas this season.  Beard first won a 3-2 decision on Jan. 17 and then won by a pin two weeks ago in the semifinal round of the EIWA Championship.  Beard would go on to win his second-straight EIWA title.

Thursday, Beard recorded five takedowns in the first period against four escapes by Thomas to surge out to a 15-4 lead after the opening three minutes.  An escape and a takedown by Beard less than one minute into the second period ended the bout.

197 / Consolation Round One / 21) Levi Hopkins (Campbell) def. 28) Payton Thomas, 14-4 Decision
Hopkins fell in a 10-6 decision to 12th-seeded Stephen Little of Arkansas Little Rock in the first round.

The first match between the wrestlers saw Hopkins score on a takedown 43 seconds into the bout.  Thomas answered with one point for an escape to enter the second period trailing 3-1.  He then narrowed the margin to 3-2 with another escape 12 seconds after the start of the stanza.  Hopkins responded with a takedown one minute later to build a 6-2 lead through five minutes.  Hopkins registered an escape at the very start of the third period to make it a 7-2 score and added a takedown to build a 10-2 advantage.

"Thomas gained valuable experience as a freshman," said Kolat. "While it may not have been the experience he had hoped for, it provides a foundation to build on for next year."