BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — The LIU wrestling team had never sent a wrestler to the NCAA Championships since the inception of its Division I program four years ago.

But that was poised to change in the final stages of the EIWA Championships on Mar. 9 and the man to do it was Anthony D'Alesio.
 
D'Alesio, a junior from Youngstown, Ohio, brought a wide track record of success to LIU before his arrival.

His accomplishments included being a three-time district champion and state title holder in the 182-pound bracket at the 2019 Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II state championships.

The 184-pounder began his collegiate career at West Virginia before transferring to LIU for the 2022-23 wrestling season.
 
"When I came here on a visit in the summer of 2022, head coach Joe Patrovich and assistant coaches Jesse Dellavecchia and Johnny Arceri made me feel like this was home," said D'Alesio.
 
D'Alesio's moment at the EIWA Championships came against the nationally ranked Maximus Hale of UPenn in the 7th-place match.

"I lost the previous match, and I was kind of out of it. My teammates came up to me and said, 'snap back into it, you're going to go to the NCAA tournament if you win against Hale'.'"
 
The faith and confidence placed in him by his teammates were rewarded. D'Alesio defeated Hale 4-2 to earn himself a bid to the NCAA Championships.

When the match clock hit zero and D'Alesio had won, his first thought was of his parents and teammates, but especially his mother.
 
"I just could not wait to hug my mom because she's been there through all the ups and downs. I didn't really think of it as an accomplishment of myself, I thought of it as an accomplishment of all the people around me who worked hard to get me into the situation to even be able to be in that match."
 
D'Alesio said that the support of his team and spending an entire season with them are what helped him stay focused and positive through the grind of the season.
 
"The key to staying positive and making a season fun throughout the year is having people around you that make it feel like home. It is not as long and grueling as it would be if you didn't feel at home and comfortable."
 
As the Sharks' first NCAA Championships qualifier, D'Alesio didn't lose sight of the impact his moment has on LIU's wrestling program.
 
"It is really cool to go down in the history books as the first qualifier. But my biggest takeaway is that it opens the gateway for my teammates and the people who are going to be coming to this program to see that it is possible and that you can do it anywhere."
 
D'Alesio will take on No. 33 Tomas Brooker of Appalachian State in the opening round of the 184-pound Championships on Thursday, Mar. 21, in Kansas City, M.O.