PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island -- The Ferrum College wrestling tandem of seniors Zach Beckner and Rayshawn Dixon both advanced through to the second day of competition at the 2025 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships, being held Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence.

Beckner and Dixon each went 2-0 today and advanced to the semifinal round. A top-6 finish is guaranteed for both wrestlers. The top eight wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes earns All-America honors. As a team, Ferrum is currently in 15th place, with 20.5 points. This year's NCAA Championship field includes 65 teams.

TEAM SCORES (top 20)
1. JWU (Providence) 49.5; 2. Wartburg 48.5; 3. ugsburg 46.0; 4. Wis.-La Crosse 43.; 5. North Central (IL) 42.0; 6. Baldwin Wallace 40.5; 7. Alvernia 39.0; 7. Coe 39.0; 9. TCNJ 35.0; 10. Wis.-Whitewater 24.5; 11. Wis.-Eau Claire 23.0; 12. Luther 22.5; 13. Coast Guard 21.5; 14. Stevens 21.0; 15. Ferrum 20.5; 16. Loras 20.0; 17. Roanoke 19.5; 18. Merchant Marine 18.0; 18. Wabash 18.0; 20. Elizabethtown 14.0

The #3 seed in the 125 pound weight class, Beckner advanced to the semifinals with a pair of wins. He started the day with an 8-1 decision over Wartburg College's Brett Birchman in the round of 16, then posted a 9-0 major decision over University of Southern Maine's Jake Craig in the quarterfinals.

The #2 seed at 285 pounds, Dixon opened with a 5-0 decision over host Johnson & Wales University's Adolfo Betancur in the round of 16. Dixon then faced #7 seed Reid Garrison of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, where he posted an impressive 19-3 tech fall to advance the semifinals.

Beckner and Dixon are both three-time NCAA qualifiers and now two-time All-Americans. Beckner first qualified in 2017, where he was national runner-up at 125 pounds. He also qualified in 2024, but did not place. Dixon first qualified in 2023, but did not place, then qualified again in 2024 and placed fifth to earn his first All-America honor.

RESULTS: Zach Beckner (125 lbs)
Champ. Round 2 - Zach Beckner (Ferrum) won 8-1 decision over Brett Birchman (Wartburg)
Quarterfinal - Zach Beckner (Ferrum) won 9-0 major decision over Jake Craig (Southern Maine)

RESULTS: Rayshawn Dixon (285 lbs)
Champ. Round 2 - Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum) won 5-0 decision over Adolfo Betancur (JWU Providence)
Quarterfinal - Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum) won 19-3 tech fall over #7 Reid Garrison (Merchant Marine Academy)

UP NEXT
Beckner and Dixon will both be back in action Saturday for the final day of competition. Wrestling is scheduled for a 10:00 a.m. start at Amica Mutual Pavilion.