CLEVELAND, Ohio – Junior Colin Kowalski's (Derwood, Md./Georgetown Prep) outstanding season came to a close with a pair of setbacks on the opening day of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kowalski battled a pair of familiar foes at 165 pounds on the opening day in sixth-ranked Thomas Poklikuha from Stevens Institute of Technology and eighth-ranked Jeff Hojnacki from Messiah College. In a rematch of the Centennial Conference title match, the Gettysburg junior came out with a quick takedown for a 2-0 lead after the first period against Poklikuha.

The Stevens wrestler came back with an escape and takedown before tallying two quick back points in the second period. The advantage grew to 7-2 before Poklikuha was able to spin Kowalski's back to the mat for a pin with 13 seconds left in the match.

The consolation bracket featured the fifth career meeting between Kowalski and Hojnacki. All four previous bouts came down to the wire and Friday's affair was no different. The Falcon grappler scored the first takedown and Kowalski jumped out with an escape in the opening period.

In the second period, Kowalski maintained a strong lock on the top position, but an illegal move with the legs locked in led to a penalty point and 3-1 lead for Hojnacki.

With over a minute of riding time heading into the final period, Kowalski pulled off an escape and a takedown to surge in front 4-3. Hojnacki managed a reversal to retake the lead with 1:37 left. He held on for the remainder of the period, slicing Kowalski's riding time advantage below the minute-mark and clinching a 5-4 victory.

Kowalski closes the season with a 37-8 overall record. The junior posted seven pins, eight technical falls, and six major decisions. His tech fall total was the best by a Gettysburg grappler in 26 seasons. He finished among the top three in five different tournaments, including winning the Messiah Petrofes Invitational for the second year in a row.