CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Elmhurst's Ryan Prater has advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships at the conclusion of the second session of the NCAA Division III Championships.

Teammate Danny Balderas (197 pounds) posted a 1-2 record on the day and finished one win shy of All-America honors.

Prater scored an easy victory in the opening round of the 149 pound weight class with a 14-0 major decision over Cornell's Trevor Engle. Prater scored a takedown and then used three near falls to open up a commanding 10-0 lead after one period. After a scoreless second period, Prater used an escape and a takedown then added a point for riding time to score the 14-0 win.

Taking on seventh-seeded Vincent Fava of Delaware Valley in the quarterfinals, Prater grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the second with an escape after a scoreless first period. A pair of stalling calls on Fava resulted in a point for Prater and he led 2-0 after the second. Starting from the top in the third, Prater rode Fava for the entire two minutes to secure a 3-0 victory. The win gave Prater a spot in the semifinals and guaranteed him All-America honors with top-eight finish. Prater, the two seed in the weight class, will take on third-seeded Mark Hartenstine of Wilkes in the semifinals on Saturday morning. Prater remained unbeaten with the pair of wins, upping his record to 18-0 on the season.



Balderas dropped a tough 5-3 contest to third-seeded Jacob Lowry of Thiel. Lowry scored a takedown just five seconds into the opening period, but Balderas cut the lead in half with an escape. Balderas scored a quick escape to start the second and evened the score at 2-2, but Lowry struck for another takedown to grab a 4-2 lead and built up over 1:30 of riding time. Balderas started from the top in the third period and erased Lowry's riding time advantage. Balderas scored a point after Lowry was called for stalling to make the score 4-3. Balderas cut Lowry loose in an effort to score a takedown and force overtime, but Lowry was able to fend off his shots and escape with the 5-3 win.

Balderas won his opening match in the consolation round against Heidelburg's Jason Russell. Balderas scored all of his points in the opening period by striking for three takedowns and holding off Russell the rest of the way for the 6-3 win. Balderas' tournament came to a close after he was taken down and pinned in 1:44 to Warburg's Punahele Soriano in the second round of the consolation bracket. Balderas finished the 2013-14 season with a 16-10 overall record.

As a team, the Bluejays sit in 27th place at the conclusion of day one with 9.5 points.

The third session of the NCAA Championships will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.