PEMBROKE — Richmond wrestling coach Ken Neal feels pretty good about the upcoming postseason tournament series.

His Raiders turned in a very respectable showing at Saturday’s Southeastern Conference Tournament at Purnell Swett High School, coming in fifth in the team standings.

That mirrored the Raiders’ regular-season showing.

“I was pleased with our effort,” Neal said. “Our upperclassmen did well, and some of our younger guys stepped up, also.”

Several Raider grapplers shone at the SEC meet: 152-pound senior Antoine Bostick had the best individual showing on the day, advancing all the way to the championship finals before falling. With his runner-up effort, he earned All-SEC honors.

Wesley Mason, the Raiders’ 140-pounder, advanced to the semifinals before losing.

He rebounded to finish third.

Fourth-place finishes were posted by Jeremy Cairo at 119 pounds; Travis Butler at 189; and Lucas Newton at 215.

With the conference tournament in the books, the Raiders’ focus shifts to getting wrestlers into the regional tournament, set for Feb. 19-20 at UNC-Pembroke.

A total of 27 teams will compete in the regional, which will bring together the top 16 wrestlers in each weight class, seeded 1-16.

From there, the top four finishers will move on to the state tournament, the next weekend in Greensboro.

The regional field will be set by the coaches at a seeding meeting slated for next Wednesday night.

Winning percentage is the top criteria for making the regional bracket.

Neal likes the chances of several of his wrestlers.

“I think we’ve got at least three guys who should definitely make it, and another two or three who are possibilities,” Neal said. “It’s going to depend on how the classes fill up.”

Some weight classes have fewer wrestlers than others, Neal said. If a weight class is too crowded, coaches have the option of bumping a wrestler up into t he next class.

n Contact sports editor David Vantress at 997-3111, ext. 14 or via email at dvantress@yourdailyjournal.com.