ITHACA, N.Y. – The fifth-ranked (3^rd d3wrestle.com) Ithaca College wrestling team made its much anticipated home debut on Saturday afternoon when it welcomed Oswego State and Jamestown Community College for duals inside Ben Light Gymnasium. The Bombers impressed throughout the day, conceding just one wrestled bout in a pair of dominant victories that stretch their record to 4-1 in duals on the early season.
 
#5 ITHACA 45 – OSWEGO STATE 4
 
125 LB | Ferdinand Mase (Ithaca) def.  Jack DelDuca (OSWEGO STATE) | FALL: 4:29
133 LB | Tito Colom (Ithaca) def. Evan Corso (OSWEGO STATE) | FALL: 6:00
141 LB | Ben Brisman (Ithaca) def. Justin DeLucia (OSWEGO STATE) | MD: 16-6
149 LB | Chris Wymer (Ithaca) def. Kyle Torre (OSWEGO STATE) | FALL: 4:42
157 LB | Sammy Schneider (Ithaca) def. Joey Bush (OWEGO STATE) | TF: 24-9
165 LB | Nick Velez (Ithaca) def. Isaac Mathews (OSWEGO STATE) | FALL: 4:02
174 LB | Troy Seymour (OSWEGO STATE) def. Alec Corrao (ITHACA) | MD: 14-2
184 LB | Jake Ashcraft (Ithaca) receives forfeit
197 LB | Dalton Elias (Ithaca) def. Michael Southwick (OSWEGO STATE) | DEC: 12-6
285 LB | Jake O'Brien (Ithaca) def. Kade Andrews (OSWEGO STATE) | DEC: 4-0
 
Certainly feeling the energy from competing in their home venue for the first time during the 2017-18 campaign, Ithaca came out flying in a dominant effort against Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference (ECWC) rival Oswego State. The Bombers were clinical and relentless in winning nine of 10 bouts to score a 45-4 dual victory to improve to 3-1 on the young season.
 
The fireworks came fast and furious for the fifth-ranked Bombers, as the squad scored bonus points in all but the final two bouts. IC finished with four falls, two major decisions and one technical fall to run away with the match.
 
The Bombers scored the early edge right from the jump, as junior Ferdinand Mase locked in his fourth fall of the year (4:29) in the second period against Oswego's DelDuca. The junior connected on a pair of shots to take a 4-1 lead and 1:25 of riding time advantage into the second period. However, he saved his best for next frame, scoring a quick escape, before turning DelDuca to his back for the pin and a 6-0 lead for IC.
 
One of the most exciting matchups of the day came at 133-pounds, as sophomore Tito Colom engaged in a hard-fought battled with the Lakers' Evan Corso. The two grapplers were tactical in a defensive stalemate for the first two periods, but Colom turned on the jets in the final period after going down 2-0.
 
Colom found his offense in the crucial third frame. Down 2-0, he scored an escape to halve the deficit and then got to work with 1:30 left. The sophomore got in on a single-leg shot and drove Corso to the mat for a takedown to pull ahead 3-2. Colom was not satisfied just with that, as he rolled Corso to his back for his fourth fall (6:00) of the campaign. With the pin, Ithaca's early lead doubled to 12-0.
 
Ben Brisman continued his hot start to his sophomore campaign with a dominant 16-6 major decision in his 141-pound bout against Justin DeLucia. His strategy was to go on the offensive from the start, racking up four takedowns in the opening period. The second-year added five more points on an escape and two takedowns in the second, before putting the finishing touches on his major with one final single-leg shot in the third.
 
Senior Chris Wymer was one of the brightest spots for the Bombers on the afternoon. He scored his first of two victories on the day when he locked in IC's third fall in the first four bouts. He grabbed the early leg up in the match with a quick takedown, building the lead out to 8-0 by the end of three minutes with four-point and two-point near falls. Starting down to begin the second frame, he broke the ride of Oswego State's Kyle Torre, before rolling the Lakers' 149-pounder to his back for the pin at 4:42. The win stretched IC's lead to 22-0.
 
The Lakers scored their first lead in a bout during the 157-pound matchup between talented sophomores Joey Bush and Ithaca's second-ranked NWCA entrant Sammy Schneider. Bush surprised with an early shot that connected for a 2-0 opener on the scoreboard. However, Schneider showed his pedigree in an impressive display of relentless stamina to ensure that Ithaca's shutout would continue.
 
Schneider grinded Bush down throughout the first and second periods to widen his advantage to 14-6 heading to the final period. The takedowns continued to come with ease over a visibly fatigued Bush during the third, as Schneider locked in the 24-9 technical fall. The win improved Ithaca's team-lead to 27-0 at the midway point.
 
Ithaca sent another nationally-ranked wrestler to the mat to close out the victory in the next bout when third-ranked NWCA (3^rd d3wrestle.com) grappler Nick Velez took on Isaac Mathews at 165-pounds. The bout followed a similar blueprint to the first five, as Velez jumped out to an 8-1 lead at the end of the first, before locking in the Bombers fourth fall in 4:02. The six team points clinched the match at 33-0.
 
The Lakers lone victory of the day came at 174-pounds, as Oswego sent seventh-ranked NWCA wrestler Troy Seymour to the mat against IC freshman Alec Corrao. The reigning ECWC Co-Rookie of the Week, Corrao held his own against his nationally-ranked counter-part, battling through an injury timeout to complete the bout. Seymour took a 14-2 major decision to score the Lakers first points and make the score 33-4.
 
The Bombers closed out the match with triumphs in the final three bouts. Fifth-ranked (5^th d3wrestle.com) Jake Ashcraft received a forfeit at 184-pounds, while sophomore Dalton Elias and junior Jake O'Brien scored decisions at 197-pounds and 285-pounds, respectively.
 
Elias turned in one of his strongest performances of this season when he faced Mike Southwick in the penultimate match of the dual. After falling behind 2-0 early, he scored a reversal and a takedown to take a 4-3 lead to the second period. The sophomore methodically built out the lead to 11-4 and seemed poised for the major decision, before Southwick converted a late shot just before the final horn in the 12-6 decision.
 
O'Brien continued to give his opponents very little to work with in a classic effort that has characterized his early season. He shutout Oswego's Kade Andrews in a 4-0 decision to close out the 45-4 victory.
 
#5 ITHACA 52 – JAMESTOWN CC 6
 
125 LB | Ferdinand Mase (ITHACA) def. Caleb Wiggins (JAMESTOWN CC) | TF: 17-1
133 LB | Tito Colom (ITHACA) receives forfeit
141 LB | Ben Brisman (ITHACA) receives forfeit
149 LB | Chris Wymer (ITHACA) def. Michael Zito (JAMESTOWN CC) | TF: 15-0
157 LB | Austin Whitney (ITHACA) receives forfeit
165 LB | Nick Velez (ITHACA) receives forfeit
174 LB | Cameron Page (JAMESTOWN CC) receives forfeit
184 LB | Jake Ashcraft (ITHACA) receives forfeit
197 LB | Dymir Davis-Carruth (ITHACA) receives forfeit
285 LB | Jake O'Brien (ITHACA) receives forfeit
 
The second match only had two wrestled bouts with both teams looking to have gained what they wanted to out of the day of competition. The Bombers won both of the wrestled bouts and received seven forfeits in the 52-6 victory.
 
Both of Ithaca's victories were impressive technical falls, as Mase finished of Jamestown Community College's Caleb Wiggins in a 17-1 tilt that ended in the second period. Wymer followed at 149-pounds with a 15-0 shutout over the Jayhawks' Michael Zito.
 
Ithaca returns to action in January when it travels to Fort Wayne, Ind., for the two-day National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals. Action is scheduled to begin on Thursday, January 4, and conclude on Friday, January 5.