Zachary Knighton-Ward competes at NCAA Wrestling Championships

Making his third NCAA Tournament appearance, red-shirt senior from Uniondale, New York, Zachary Knighton-Ward's season was officially finalized on Thursday night, March 17, at the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. 

Starting off the night, Knighton-Ward, the No. 31 seed in the 285-pound bracket, was pinned at 1:25 of the first period by Arizona State's Cohlton Schultz. Following the loss, Knighton-Ward's record stood at 18-8.

Knighton-Ward competed against Taye Ghadiali of Campbell University, seeded at No. 15, in the consolation bracket later in the day in session two. Lewis Fernandes of Cornell University defeated Ghadiali in a 4-0 decision. 

With a single-leg takedown in the opening 30 seconds of the first period, Knighton-Ward put himself ahead 2-0. Ghadiali then escaped, earning himself a point, making the score 2-1 after the end of the first period. Ghadiali reached over one minute of riding time, adding a point to his final score. 

Ghadiali started in the bottom position in the second period but evened the score at 2-2 with another escape. Knighton-Ward then suffered a takedown attempt from the Campbell heavyweight before spinning behind Ghadiali for the two points, giving him a 4-2 advantage going into the third. 

In the final period of the match, Knighton-Ward gained the strength to get to his feet, extending his second lead of the night to three points. However, Ghadiali came back quick-witted and scored three takedowns, forcing the match into sudden overtime. The overtime was also a result of Knighton-Ward's accumulated minutes of riding time. Knighton-Ward attempted a single-leg takedown, but things didn't go as planned as Ghadiali shut off the attempt. Knighton-Ward suffered defeat by a close 10-8 decision in sudden overtime.

After this year's trip to the NCAA Championships, Knighton-Ward finishes the season with lots to show for his time at Hofstra. He ends the season with an 18-9 overall record. Aside from being one of the heavily favored weight classes to win this season, his other achievements include going 13-5 in duals, 5-2 in falls, 10-5 in wins by decision and 4-1 in wins by major decision. Not to mention going 7-0 against the EIWA competition. In addition, Knighton-Ward held the best record on the team this season, ending his career with 50 wins and 25 losses. 

Knighton-Ward has been a powerful influence and leading captain for the Hofstra Pride, making wrestling look easy. His mindset was always that his training was more demanding than most, and despite the upsetting loss, this tournament was always something he has trained for. His strength and constant perseverance have been reflected in how he’s competed throughout the years. 

This year’s 2022 NCAA Tournament winner was Pennsylvania State University, which took the first-place team title for the fourth year in a row. The other top schools were Michigan State University in second place, Arizona State University in third and Iowa State University in fourth, followed by the fifth-place University of Nebraska. 

Photo courtesy of Mark Lundy/Lutte Lens Photography LLC/Hofstra Athletics