Senior Nic Bedelyon’s quest for a national championship is on the right track after an impressive first day at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

The 125-pound Bedelyon, who received the No. 5 seed in his weight class bracket, kicked off the first round by earning a 13-2 major decision over Iowa State’s Cory Finch. Bedelyon trailed 2-0 after the first period, but he turned the tide in the second round and control the rest of the match.

In the second round, Bedelyon looked sharp and finished strong in a 10-7 win over Hofstra’s Steve Bonnano. With the match tied at six after two periods, Bedelyon scored an escape and takedown to take the lead for good.

Bedelyon, one of seven Flashes competing in the national tournament, will take on Jesse Delgado of Illinois in the quarterfinals Friday morning.

Freshman Ian Miller made an immediate impact in his first tournament appearance. Miller earned a first-round pinfall over Illinois’ Eric Terrazas just 57 seconds into the match.

Unfortunately for Miller, the second round was a completely different story. Facing off against Hoftstra’s Justin Accordino, Miller scored a quick takedown at the beginning of the match. However, Miller fell behind after a takedown and near fall by Accordino.

In the second period, Accordino tripped Miller up and got him onto his back, earning a pin and advancing to the quarterfinal round.

Miller will move on to face Virginia’ Augustus Sako in a consolation match on Friday.

Sophomore Tyler Small, who received the No. 12 seed in the 141-pound bracket, started off strong with a 6-2 decision over Princeton’s Adam Krop in the first round.

In his second-round match against Ohio State’s Hunter Stieber, Small suffered an apparent hand injury after being taken down in the second period. The match was momentarily stopped, as doctors attended to Small.

Small was able to continue the match but wasn’t able to claim the victory, dropping a 7-4 decision over the No. 5-seeded Stieber.

Junior Casey Newburg, appearing in his first NCAA tournament, faced a tough challenge against No. 2-seeded Robert Hamlin of Lehigh in the 184-pound bracket. Newburg got some offense in, but the challenge proved too tough as he fell 10-2.

In the consolation match, Newburg scored a takedown and a reversal on his way to a 6-5 victory over Navy’s Luke Robertus, Newburg’s first NCAA tournament win.

Senior heavyweight Brendan Barlow took on Northwestern’s Michael McMullan in a match that went into overtime. In the extra period, McMullan turned and grounded Barlow on the mat, earning the takedown and a 3-1 sudden victory.

Junior Mallie Shuster, also competing in his first national tournament, suffered two close loses, starting with a 2-1 loss to Ohio State’s Josh Demas in the qualifying pigtail round. Shuster and Demas each scored one escape point, but Demas earned a bonus point with riding time that earned him the victory.

Shuster fought hard in his consolation match against Chattanooga’s Daniel Waddel, but a mid-match takedown by Waddel helped him pull away for the 5-2 victory over Shuster.

Tournament play continues Friday at 11:00 a.m. with the quarterfinal round.

Contact Tim Dorst at [email protected] and @TimmyD_DKS.