SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - After the fourth session of wrestling Friday, the Apprentice School wrestling squad has secured a total of nine All-Americans.

Two of the six Builders wrestling in the semifinals will now step on the big stage Saturday evening for a shot at their first national crown. Three of the six Builders in the blood round advanced to secure a top eight podium finish.

At 125, Bruno Alves avenged his 2022 national finals loss by defeating Dante Mininno of Liberty, 6-2. Now a two-time national finalist, Alves will face top-seeded Jack Parker of Bellarmine for gold in a rematch from the National Duals which saw Parker come away with a 17-10 victory. 

With a 1-1 tie score heading into the final seconds of his semifinal bout, Dillon Messick survived a late onslaught of offense from Michael Gonzalez of Springfield Tech. With Messick holding the riding time advantage, he countered with a step-over and nearfall points with 13 seconds remaining. Messick will now face Kaden Blair of Toledo for gold. The two have traded wins this season with Messick claiming the most recent bout with an ultimate tiebreaker win at the Builder Invitational. 

The remaining six Builders fell in their semifinal matches and will now look to bounce back for third place Saturday. Zach Ortega, Ethan Baker, Landon Kissell and Peter Cortapasso will wrestling in the consolation semifinals after a short round in session five.

Caleb Olgers, Jordan Robins and DJ Uribes each secured their first All-American honors with dominant pins in the blood round. All three will have the opportunity to claim bronze with three more wins.

History was already made for the women's team as it was the first time Apprentice brought multiple qualifiers to the National Championships. Raya Sessoms found two wins in her first tournament, one shy of All-American status.

The final day of wrestling will likely be a fight for Apprentice to hang on to third place as Bellarmine and Liberty have distanced themselves from the rest of the field after Friday. Bellarmine has the commanding lead with 156.5, followed by Liberty with 145. Apprentice is currently at 124.5, with Grand Valley nipping on their heels at 117.