ROANOKE, Va. — University of Southern Maine junior Peter Del Gallo capped off a stellar 2018-19 campaign with a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships on Saturday in Roanoke, Virginia.
After battling back from an overtime quarterfinal loss to become just the fourth All-American in program history, the former four-time state champ from Gardiner High School rumbled through his day two opponents to finish third in the nation at 125 pounds.
Del Gallo posted a brilliant third period in his opening match of the day to defeat his challenger Carlos Champagne of Wabash. Trailing Champagne 4-2 entering the final period, Del Gallo put up big points to outscore his opponent 8-1 with a reversal, near fall and a takedown on his way to a 10-5 win and spot in the consolation semifinals.
Seeded sixth entering the national tournament, Del Gallo found himself matched up with fifth-seed Cameron Timok of Central (Iowa) — the 2019 NCAA Midwest Regional champion at 125 pounds. Del Gallo trailed Timok after the first period 2-1, scoring on an escape, and then went ahead in the second with an early takedown. Clinging to a 3-2 lead heading into the third, Del Gallo, starting in the down position, scored on a reversal and held for the 5-2 final, earning a spot in the third-place match.
Facing another regional title holder in Ithaca’s Ferdinand Mase, the Mideast’s 125-pound champion, Del Gallo came out on top with an 8-5 victory, again pulling away from his opponent in the third. Ahead 4-3 and in the down position, Del Gallo leapt ahead 5-3 with an escape early. Mase scored a takedown to tie the match at 5-5, before Del Gallo scored three quick points on an escape and a clutch takedown with just seconds remaining to claim third place — the second best finish by a USM wrestler in school history behind his brother, Dan Del Gallo, who claimed the 149-pound national title in 2017.
Posting a 2-1 record after day one of the national championship, Del Gallo finished the tournament with a 5-1 record. The USM junior is one of just five Husky wrestlers to take multiple trips to the national tournament. He joins former standout and current USM head coach Mike Morin (2009, 2010), Matt Ulrich (2010) and Dan Del Gallo (2017) as one of four All-Americans in the program’s history.