Keystone Classic champion Jonah Niesenbaum of Duke (photo courtesy of Tony DiMarco/FantasyCollegeWrestling) Duke: The Blue Devils traveled north to the Keystone Classic in Philadelphia this weekend. #32 Jonah Neisenbaum continued his strong start to the season and picked up his second tournament title in as many weeks. Neisenbaum was the third-seed and picked up two ranked wins on the way to the top of the podium. He beat #22 Ben Goldin (Penn) in the semifinals 3-1 in sudden victory to meet ACC foe #19 Hunter Catka (VT) in the finals. Neisenbaum went to extra time for his second straight match and came out on top of Catka 3-1 in sudden victory. Patrick Rowland (149) also ended the day on the podium, finishing in 7th place.
The Blue Devils will have a break this week and will return to action on December 4th against VMI and Franklin & Marshall in Lexington, Virginia.
#16 Pittsburgh: The Panthers played host this weekend to Maryland and Lehigh at the Fitzgerald Field House. There was a clear swing from low to high between the duals, with the Panthers dropping a close match to Maryland Friday night before beating Lehigh on Saturday.
An early pin and two sudden victory losses were the difference in an 18-16 loss to Maryland on Friday night. The biggest win on the night came from captain #9 Nino Bonaccorsi with a dominating 8-2 decision over #13 Jaxon Smith. #1 Cole Matthews also picked up a ranked win over #33 Kal Miller. #14 Holden Heller earned the lone bonus point for the Panthers on the night with a major decision at 165. #8 Micky Phillippi and #24 Reece Heller rounded out the wins for Pitt with decisions at 133 and 184, respectively.
The Panthers bounced back in a big way with a big win over in-state rival #20 Lehigh. After finding themselves in a hole at the midway point, the Panthers swept the upper weights to knock off Lehigh. Colton Camacho and #1 Cole Matthews both won by decision in the front half of the lineup before the run to end the dual. #14 Holden Heller blanked Brian Meyer in a 6-0 decision, followed by an upset from Luca Augustine over #31 Jake Logan. #24 Reece Heller pulled off a big upset over #14 Tate Samuelson; Heller looked fantastic and wrestled a nearly perfect match stylistically. In his second ranked win of the weekend, #9 Nino Bonaccorsi won a controlling 10-4 decision over former All-American, #8 Michael Beard. This was Nino's 100th win as a Panther and gave them a one point lead going into the final match. Coach Gavin sent out true freshman heavyweight Dayton Pitzer, who put on a show for the crowd in the Fitzgerald Field House. Pitzer dominated his way to a 10-1 major decision in his debut to ice the dual for the Panthers.
Maryland 18 #16 Pitt 16
125 - #26 Braxton Brown (Maryland) pins Colton Camacho (Pitt), 4:55
133 - #8 Micky Phillippi (Pitt) dec. Jackson Cockrell (Maryland), 5-1
141 - #1 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. #33 Kal Miller (Maryland), 5-1
149 - #24 Ethen Miller (Maryland) dec. Tyler Badgett (Pitt), 9-4
157 - Michael North (Maryland) dec. #11 Dazjon Casto (Pitt), 10-8 SV
165 - #14 Holden Heller (Pitt) maj. dec. Lucas Cordio (Maryland), 12-4
174 - #32 Dominic Solis (Maryland) dec. Luca Augustine (Pitt), 3-1 SV
184 - #24 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. Chase Mielnik (Maryland), 10-4
197 - #9 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. #13 Jaxon Smith (Maryland), 8-2
HWT - #28 Jaron Smith (Maryland) dec. Jake Slinger (Pitt), 6-1
#16 Pitt 22 #20 Lehigh 12
125 - Colton Camacho (Pitt) dec. #16 Carter Bailey (Lehigh), 4-2
133 - #22 Connor McGonagle (Lehigh) dec. #8 Micky Phillippi (Pitt), 5-3
141 - #1 Cole Matthews (Pitt) dec. Owen Reinsel (Lehigh), 8-2
149 - Max Brignola (Lehigh) dec. Tyler Badgett (Pitt), 7-6
157 - #9 Josh Humphreys (Lehigh) pins #11 Dazjon Casto (Pitt), 3:47
165 - #14 Holden Heller (Pitt) dec. Brian Meyer (Lehigh), 6-0
174 - Luca Augustine (Pitt) dec. #31 Jake Logan (Lehigh), 11-6
184 - #24 Reece Heller (Pitt) dec. #14 Tate Samuelson (Lehigh), 7-6
197 - #9 Nino Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec. #8 Michael Beard (Lehigh), 10-4
HWT - Dayton Pitzer (Pitt) maj. dec. #17 Nathan Taylor (Lehigh), 10-1
#17 North Carolina: The Tar Heels had a split weekend, sending a group to the Life Open on Saturday and hosting #4 Ohio State on Sunday.
The Tar Heels put several wrestlers into the finals at the Life Open before defaulting out. Jaime Hernandez (133), Wil Guida (157), Marcus Murabito (165) and Aydin Guttridge (285) all made the finals among the 10 total placers.
On Sunday afternoon, UNC welcomed the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes to Carmichael Arena. While there were several tight matchups; Lautt v Smith, Kane v Romero, Wagner v Heinselman, the Tar Heels came up short against a tough Buckeye squad. Lachlan McNeil did have a huge win as the highlight for UNC. McNeil looked excellent in a 9-7 win over Jordan Decatur.
#17 North Carolina 9 #4 Ohio State 33
125 - Malik Heinselman over Jack Wagner (Dec 3-1)
133 - Jesse Mendez over Joey Melendez (Fall 4:32)
141 - Lachlan McNeil over Jordan Decatur (Dec 9-7)
149 - Sammy Sasso over Jayden Scott (Fall 1:39)
157 - Sincere Bailey over Paddy Gallagher (Forfeit)
165 - Carson Khachla over Nicholas Fea (Dec 12-8)
174 - Ethan Smith over Clay Lautt (Dec 2-0)
184 - Kaleb Romero over Gavin Kane (Dec 6-4)
197 - Gavin Hoffman over Max Shaw (Dec 8-2)
285 - Tate Orndorff over Brandon Whitman (Fall 5:22)
#12 North Carolina State: The Wolfpack headed north again, this time to Albany, NY for the Journeymen Armbar at the Armory for duals with Illinois and Central Michigan. They looked great in both duals and picked up some big ranked wins. #19 Ryan Jack was 2-0 with both wins by major decision as he continues to put up points in bunches. Jackson Arrington had a great performance, winning by major in the Illinois dual and knocking off #14 Johnny Lovett in the CMU dual. #3 Trent Hilday stretched his BONUS streak to five matches to start the season, winning by fall and tech fall. #19 Isaac Trumble wrestled a fantastic match to beat #14 Zac Braunagel 11-4; he also picked up a win by major decision over CMU. #21 Owen Trephan was the final member of the pack to go 2-0 on the day with a decision and a major decision.
#12 NC State 26 Central Michigan 12
125: Troy Hohman (NCSU) def. Sean Spidle: 4-3 dec.
133: Vince Perez def. Jacob Cox (NCSU); medical forfeit
141: No. 19 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. Ja'Kerion Meritt; 12-3 major dec.
149: Jackson Arrington (NCSU) def. No. 14 Johnny Lovett; 4-3 (SV1)
157: No. 33 Corbyn Munson def. No. 6 Ed Scott (NCSU); 4-1
165: Don Cates (NCSU) def. Tracy Hubbard; 3-2
174: Alex Cramer def. Joey Milano (NCSU); 6-2
184: No. 3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) def. Ben Cushman; fall
197: No. 19 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) def. Cameron Wood; 11-2, major dec.
285: No. 21 Owen Trephan (NCSU) def. Bryan Caves; 4-2 dec.
#12 NC State 27 #25 Illinois 12
125: No.29 Jarrett Trombley (NCSU) def. Maximo Renteria; 5-1 dec.
133: No. 6 Lucas Byrd def. Jacob Cox (NCSU); fall
141: No. 19 Ryan Jack (NCSU) def. Danny Pucino; 14-4 major dec.
149: Jackson Arrington (NCSU) def. Kevon Davenport; 10-2 major dec.
157: Ed Scott (NCSU) def. Anthony Federico; 15-3 major dec.
165: No. 22 Danny Braunagel def. Alex Faison; 9-3
174: No. 10 Edmond Ruth def. Brock Delsignore (NCSU); 7-2
184: No. 3 Trent Hidlay (NCSU) def. Dylan Connell; Tech fall 23-7
197: No. 19 Isaac Trumble (NCSU) def. No. 14 Zac Braunagel; 11-4
285: No. 21 Owen Trephan (NCSU) def. Matt Wroblewski; 10-2
Virginia: After a very challenging week in Charlottesville, Coach Garland left the decision to the team whether or not to compete. The team leaders spoke and said they wanted to wrestle and honor their fellow student-athletes in the best way they could. The Hoos hosted #9 Northwestern in a Sunday night dual at Memorial Gymnasium and it ended up being an entertaining matchup.
The dual opened at 141 with back-to-back losses for the Hoos, with #29 Jarod Verkleeren losing by decision to #8 Yahya Thomas and #23 Jake Keating dropping a decision to #19 Trevor Chumbley. Team captain #9 Justin McCoy put UVA on the board with a dominating 10-4 decision over David Ferrante; McCoy was working for nearfall to get the major when Ferrante was able to roll through and score 2 to hold it to a decision. The Wildcats widened the lead with a major decision from #24 Troy Fisher over Vic Marcelli.
The next two matches were huge wins for the Hoos. #31 Neil Antrassian put on a clinic on top, with a smothering 10-2 major decision over Jack Jessen. Antrassian has started his year in Charlottesville very well; his record moves to 7-2 on the season, and he won the Appalachian Invite last week. I've been very impressed by what I've seen from Antrassian, he will be important for the team success of UVA this season. This match was followed by another impressive performance, this time by Michael Battista pulling off the upset over #32 Andrew Davison. Battista looked great on his feet and picked up a couple takedowns on really slick reshots to control Davison in the 6-2 decision.
Gabe Christensen had a tall task with All-American #6 Lucas Davison. While Davison took the 5-0 decision, I came away impressed with Christensen. He moved up from 197 after his mid-season transfer last year and competed with a top-tier heavyweight. He controlled the mat and was able to move Davison around well for being a smaller heavyweight. Speaking of tall tasks, Patrick McCormick faced All-American #3 Michael DeAugustino in his first match of the season; DeAugustino won by major decision.
The final two matches featured dual debuts from Erik Roggie and Jack Gioffre, both of whom wrestled fantastic matches. Roggie faced two-time All-American #7 Chris Cannon in what was one of the most exciting matches of the dual. Roggie was up 3-2 after the first and the match and looked great on top. Cannon was able to get an escape to tie it up and he rode out Roggie in the 3rd to get the 4-3 decision. Incredible performance from Roggie. The final match saw the true freshman Jack Gioffre sending the Hoos out on a positive note, winning a 7-6 decision with a late deciding takedown.
Virginia 13 #9 Northwestern 20
149: No.8 Yahya Thomas (NW) dec. Jarod Verkleeren 9-4
157: No. 19 Trevor Chumbley (NW) dec. No. 23 Jake Keating 5-2
165: No. 9 Justin McCoy dec. David Ferante 10-4
174: No. 23 Troy Fisher (NW) dec. Vic Marcelli major dec. 12-3
184: No. 31 Neil Antrassian major dec. Jack Jessen 10-2
197: Michael Battista dec. No. 32 Andrew Davison 6-2
285: Lucas Davison (NW) dec. Gabe Christenson 5-0
125: Michael DeAugustino (NW) major dec. Patrick McCormick 15-3
133: No. 7 Chris Cannon (NW) dec. Erik Roggie 4-3
141: Jack Gioffre dec. Joel VanderVere 7-6
#14 Virginia Tech: The Keystone Classic was a late addition to the Hokies schedule, but they made the most of their trip to Philly. The Hokies captured the team title and added five individual champs and 13 placers to wrap up an outstanding performance.
At 125, the Hokies had two finalists in Cooper Flynn and #25 Eddie Ventresca. As the law states, when these two wrestle the match goes to overtime. This time the match went the full distance to TB2 where Ventresca won by a second of riding time. Of note, Flynn had a 10-4 win over #15 Ryan Miller in the semifinals.
#11 Sam Latona came up big with another top-10 win this week to take the title at 133. He had two majors and a decision on his way to the finals against #10 Michael Colaiocco (Penn). Latona had a dominant 7-2 decision in the finals to wrap up the day. Colin Gerardi added another title for the Hokies at 141 with a major decision over McKenzie Bell (Rider) in the finals.
The nationwide chaos at 149 continued in the bracket in Philly. #12 Caleb Henson, coming off his upset of then #2 Sammy Sasso, placed third in a bracket with two other wrestlers in the top-10. Henson had two major decisions to get to the semifinals where he fell in a very tight match 7-5 in sudden victory to #9 Doug Zapf (Penn). Henson picked up a pin over Jack Crook (Harvard), brother of teammate Tom Crook, to meet Quinn Kinner (Rider) in the bronze match where he won 3-2 to take 3rd.
#31 Connor Brady had a fantastic day to finish on top of the podium. He beat three ranked wrestlers en route to the title. He had decision wins over #19 Lucas Revano (Penn), #20 Evan Barczak (Drexel) and #25 Will Formato (App St) along with two major decisions. Brady has been quietly putting together a solid season; he is 8-2 with his only losses to #6 Carson Kharchla and #10 Josh Ogunsanya.
After a tough loss to #4 Kaleb Romero last week, #9 Hunter Bolen rebounded and took the title at 184 in Philly. I was very pleased to see this version of Bolen being aggressive and putting up points; Bolen ended the day with two pins and two tech falls. The last finalist for the Hokies was #19 Hunter Catka. He put together a solid tournament but fell to #32 Jonah Neisenbaum 3-1 in sudden victory in the finals.
Rounding out the placers for the Hokies were Sam Fisher (184) in 3rd, TJ Stewart (197) in 4th, Clayton Ulrey (157) and Dakota Howard (197) in 6th and Jackson Spires (157) in 7th. The Hokies will be back in action as a team at the CKLV the first weekend in December.
#5 Bryce Andonian (157) and #2 Mekhi Lewis (174) will be in action at the All-Star Classic tonight and it can be watched on Flo.
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