WEST LIBERTY, W.V. - Eight Panthers headed to the NCAA Division II Super Region 3 to compete for the Davenport University men's wrestling team, with three athletes clinching a placement to secure eighth place overall.

Manuel Leija led all Panthers and is nationally ranked No. 12 after claiming third place at 125. This year was his third straight regional placement and second berth in the national championship of his career.

Leija finished 3-1 this weekend after winning by a 9-5 decision over Graham Shore (Findlay) in the quarterfinal, dropping a 2-1 tiebreaker to Anthony Aniciete (Tiffin) in the semifinal, and battling back in the next two rounds to clinch third in the bracket after back-to-back 3-1 decisions over JaRi Campbell (Notre Dame (OH)) and Hunter Ross (Glenville State).

Tyson Emmons garnered his second career placement in the regional tournament, finishing fifth at 141. Emmons lost a 5-3 decision in round one but remained focused in the consolation bracket, defeating Jak Keller (Grand Valley State) in an 18-5 major decision and Enrique Sanchez (Bluefield State) in a win by fall at 0:58. Emmons fell short of a chance at the third place match after losing by fall (1:41) to Ashton Anderson (Findlay) but rebounded in a 16-13 sudden victory over Sean Johnson (Glenville State) to claim fifth in the bracket.

Recently honored with the James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award, Crue Cooper placed fifth at 197. He steered the same course as Emmons, losing in the first round to Wyatt Miller (Grand Valley State) in a technical fall, won a technical fall matchup over Joshua Sanders (Davis & Elkins) and a 12-5 decision over Jacob Noon (Tiffin), and lost a major decision in a rematch against Miller in the consolation semifinal. Cooper's top-five finish came after he won a 5-2 sudden victory over Brylan Clouse (Lake Erie) in the fifth place match.

Tyler Ueberroth also secured a win (1-2 overall) in the tournament over Sebastian Spina (Bluefield State), as Marco Moore, Darrin Alward, Jamason Jodway, and Raymond Van Dyke made appearances for DU.

"Coach (Steven) Romero and I are very pleased with the effort given and the progress all of our wrestlers made this past season," said head coach Scott Lucas. "We are particularly happy for our three seniors, two of whom won their last collegiate matches in the placing round, and Manny, who is preparing to compete at nationals to become Davenport's first NCAA DII All-American."

With his placement, Leija heads to the national tournament as the preliminaries and first round are scheduled for March 15 in Wichita, Kansas.