Roanoke, Virginia – Peter Kane returned to action today at the Berglund Center for the second and final day of the 2023 NCAA Championship.
Kane was paired up with Springfield College's Jake Deguire in the consolation bracket quarterfinals to kick off day two. Kane got off to a strong start, picking up two points from a first minute takedown and tacking on another two from a near fall in the second minute. Unfortunately, Deguire was able to swing the momentum in his favor, halving Kane's lead with a reversal in the final minute of the first period and then ending the match with a pin a few seconds later at the 2:24 mark.
This result placed Kane in the seventh-place match with Ryan Smith of Stevens Institute of Technology. Going into it, both competitors knew this would be their final bout of the season and were determined to finish their impressive campaigns with a win. On this occasion, Smith was no match for Kane who ended the match in the first period with a pin at the 2:39 mark.
With this win, Kane capped off his stellar rookie campaign as the seventh best wrestler in the nation at 157 and returns to Williamstown with a taste of NCAA success to motivate him in years to come.
Reflecting on Kane's performance this weekend and this season as a whole, Eph head coach
Scott Honecker shared, "Peter had a great tournament, with some with some ups and downs along the way. I was most impressed by his competitive response to the disappointing moments of the tournament. He followed each loss with a dominant performance. I am not sure Peter could have handled the roller coaster as well earlier in the season, and I know his mindset is something he's been working on. Obviously, Peter deserves an applause. He joins rare company as a Williams All-American. The staff is excited to know that he is motivated to continue to improve and climb the ladder."
