To compete on a stage this big is a huge step in a wrestler’s career. All bets are off and everyone is 0-0. It is an opportunity to wrestle with the ultimate college wrestling opponents and to get their name out there, not only by qualifying, but also by winning. Caracciolo and MacKiernan plan to leave their footprint for the AIC wrestling program by making it to the NCAA championship.

Regionals may be a very important tournament, but it is also a time in these wrestlers’ lives they won’t get back. MacKiernan recounted what going to regionals meant to him. “Competing in regionals is fun because it is where you punch your ticket to nationals, which is ultimately the main goal. It is where we can go out and show all the hard work we have put in throughout the year.”

For Caracciolo, it means something different: “Competing in regionals means everything to me. I’ve given up a lot of time and sacrifices to be as great as I can this year. And being able to compete for this school for another year is a blessing.” No matter the results of the tournament, Darby and AIC wrestling would like everyone to know that when the dust settles, they’ll be back at work, making the improvements and adjustments like they have been doing all along.

“We aren’t going anywhere,” Coach McLaughlin said. “We’re coming.”