Day 1 Recap
Semifinals Recap
Final 149 Bracket

WICHITA, Kan. - Cody Thompson's Cinderella run at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships came to an end in the 149-pound national final as he battled through a 12-7 loss to Pitt-Johnstown's Jacob Ealy.

Thompson, a first-time nationals qualifier as a redshirt sophomore, had made an underdog run to the finals as the only unseeded wrestler among the 20 competing Saturday night. He went 4-1 for the tournament in finishing second, upsetting the #8 and #4 seeds along the way. 

In the final, Thompson came up against a veteran fifth-year senior in Ealy, a four-time all-American for UPJ who was seeded second in the bracket. Ealy effectively counter-attacked an aggressive Thompson early on, and it paid off with a first-period takedown out of a scramble and exposure to Thompson's back for a 7-0 lead. The two men traded escapes around the start of the second period, and Ealy got a late takedown to lead 11-2 after two. Thompson escaped from his bottom choice to start the third before riding time became a factor, but a takedown on the edge of the mat was overturned on a coaches' challenge; he picked up three off the restart, but it was too late as Ealy held on for the 12-7 win. 

Thompson's appearance in the final was the first by an unseeded wrestler at the NCAA Division II Championships since 2019, when Augustana's Colin Ayers was the 157-pound runner-up. He was Mines' first finalist since Weston Hunt at heavyweight in 2021, and the 14th national finalist overall in program history.

Thompson was a one-man show for the Orediggers; as their only qualifier, he still scored 17 team points and Mines finished 25th out of 43 teams in the standings. Thompson closes the season at 25-3 overall.