Johnson & Wales University Wrestling Team Wins National Championship For Division 3

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Johnson & Wales University wrestling team won the NCAA Division 3 National Championship on Saturday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.

Behind wins from seniors Joziah Fry of Coventry, and Hayden Brown of Exeter, New Hampshire, at the 125 lb. and 149 lb. weight classes, respectively, the Wildcats gave longtime head coach Lonnie Morris his first national championship in his 27th season at the helm of the program. The Wildcats previously finished third in 2019 and fourth in 2024.

Fry captured his third-straight national championship and closes his collegiate career with an incredible 121-1 record – including a 42-0 record this season. Fry took down No. 4 seed Mason Barrett (Averett) in the semifinals and wrapped up the championship for Johnson & Wales in the final match of the night with a 10-5 win over No. 2 seed Christian Guzman of North Central (IL).

Brown, meanwhile, captured his first national championship by defeating No. 2 seed Angelo Centrone (Cortland) by a 5-0 decision, capitalizing on an escape in the first period before securing a takedown in the second. Brown — who garnered All-America honors for the first time in his career on Friday – opened Saturday by defeating No. 4 seed Matt Randolph (Augsburg) by an 8-1 decision. He closes his season with a 41-1 record.

In the morning session, senior Dylan Harr locked up his third All-America honor with his second win over Ian Pepple (Wis.-Eau Claire) in as many days, this one coming via a 13-3 major decision. The Mohnton, Pennsylvania, native was awarded the Most Falls Award for his three pins in the tournament and finished 2024-25 with a 12-5 record.

Junior Adolfo Betancur of Coventry, went 1-2 to finish the event 5-3 overall and in sixth place to earn his first All-America nod. His season ended with a 29-10 record.

The Wildcats finished with 83.5 points, which placed them in a tie with Wartburg. The JWU victory marked the first time since 1994 that Wartburg or Augsburg did not capture the Division III national championship. The last time two programs shared a wrestling national championship at any level of NCAA competition was back in 1933 when Oklahoma State and Iowa State sat atop the leaderboard.

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