CLEVELAND — A pair of Wildcats won their first-round matchups in the opening session of the 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday afternoon.
 
Newcomers Sebastian Rivera (125) and Ryan Deakin (149) both logged commanding victories in their NCAA Championships debuts.
 
Rivera, ranked 8th in the nation by Intermat and seeded 10th in the national tournament, utilized a dominating, 14-3 major decision over Ibrahim Bunduka (GMU) to catapult him into the Round of 16 on Thursday night. He will wrestle seventh-seeded Taylor LaMont of Utah Valley in the next round.
 
A surprise entrant into the tournament, first-year Colin Valdiviez (133) dropped a close, 4-1 decision to Buffalo's Bryan Lantry, the 15th-highest ranked wrestler at the weight class. Valdiviez entered the tournament after being the first-alternate due to Nebraska's Jason Renteria not making weight. He will wrestle Illinois' Dylan Duncan in wrestlebacks (the pair split their bouts this season).
 
The top-seeded Wildcat in the event, Deakin commanded the unseeded Frank Garcia of Binghamton en route to a 7-0 shutout decision win. Deakin will wrestle 10th seeded Jason Tsirtsis of Arizona State, the former Northwestern wrestler, in the Round of 16 tonight. Deakin topped the seventh-ranked Tsirtsis in their only meeting, a 5-3 decision at the 55th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in December.
 
In their fourth matchup of the season, redshirt junior Johnny Sebastian (174) and (15) Dylan Lydy (Purdue) went to tiebreakers to decide a winner with No. 14 Lydy edging out No. 14 Sebastian, 6-2. The bout was tied 1-1 after the sudden victory period. Sebastian will wrestle Austin Rose of Drexel in wrestlebacks tonight (Sebastian beat him, 6-2, at the Keystone Classic earlier this season).
 
Conan Jennings (285), unseeded in the tournament, struck first against No. 15 seed Thomas Haines of Lock Haven, but suffered a 7-2 setback. He will wrestle Matt Voss of George Mason in wrestebacks tonight.
 
Session II, which includes wrestlebacks and Round of 16 action, takes place tonight at 6 p.m. CT. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
 
Results
 
Round of 32
125: (10) Sebastian Rivera (NU) maj. dec. Ibrahim Bunduka (GMU), 14-3
133: (13) Bryan Lantry (BUFF) dec. Colin Valdiviez (NU), 4-1
149: (7) Ryan Deakin (NU) dec. Frank Garcia (BING), 7-0
174: (15) Dylan Lydy (PUR) dec. Johnny Sebastian (NU), 6-2 (TB1)
285: (15) Thomas Haines (LH) dec. Conan Jennings (NU), 7-2

 

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